In the Light of the Moons
by Qebui
Summary: We know the Dragonets of Destiny. Five dragons hatched on brightest night. However, what if the dragonets had hatched in the moonlight instead? The art was made by Biohazardia on DeviantArt for Vira815.
1. Prologue: On Brightest Night

**Artemis: Hey Apollo! You have to tell the lovely ****readers**** that we don't own this!**

**Apollo: Didn't you just do that, little sis? Very well. We, the two authors of this account, do not own Wings of Fire. It belong to Tui T. Sutherland, and we would be a lot richer if we did own it. As it is, we are just some random Canadians writing fanfiction, the very nature of which means we do not own it. If we did own it, why would we not just replace the existing work with inferior content, like the Mouse Empire did?**

**Artemis: Stop talking you giant ball of flaming gas, and don't call me your little sis! **

**Apollo: Well unlike mythology or PJO, you actually ARE my little sis.**

**Artemis: Do you have a point?**

**Apollo: Only that we should probably cut this short and let whatever readers we attracted read the actual fic, little sis. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"It's 'five eggs to hatch on brightest night'. That is about the three moons being full so they have to hatch in the moonlight!" Argued Webs.

"We are not bringing the lizards outside! What if they run away?" Kestrel yelled.

"They aren't going to run away, they're eggs, they literally can't." Pointed out Dune.

"I still don't want them outside! What if we are spotted?"

Webs muttered, "I have an idea…"

"WHAT!" Shouted Dune and Kestrel.

"Don't we have a room in here with access to moonlight? We can just put them in there. I never said anything about going outside."

"There is a sky-hole in one of the rooms, we can use that." Dune suggested.

"Yes… That's exactly what I said, Dune."

"Fine! But we have to hurry up! The moons are almost at their peaks and the eggs will hatch soon."

"Then there is no time to waste." Webs concluded.

Together, the three dragons picked up the eggs and made their way to the one room in the complex of caves that was in any way open to the sky. A room that was barren, but would later be home to many scrolls. Together, the three dragons built a nest of the leaves and twigs that they had prepared earlier. Together, the three dragons watched. And a crack appeared in an egg. Meanwhile, unnoticed by the watching Talons of Peace, the pitch-black egg quickly gained a silver hue, while the pale golden egg subtly lightened in colour.

* * *

Darkness. That was all that the unhatched dragonet could perceive, with only a very few exceptions. It turned its attention to the seven points of light in the unending blackness, and it saw. One light, giving off anger, resentment, and perhaps even a hint of hate. The dragonet recoiled within its egg. Though it could not understand why the emotions were there, it could feel those emotions. It turned its attention to another light. This one radiated resignation, and hope. The dragonet liked this one better. Turning its attention to the third and final bright light, as bright as the moons it could even now feel calling it out of its egg, it found merely loss, peace, and hope. Alongside the three slightly more distant bright light, the dragonet could feel four dimmer lights. Focusing on three in quick succession, it found shadows of what could be. It could not understand the branching streams of fate unfolding before it, causes and effects leading to more causes, and it broke its focus before it could be overwhelmed. Tentatively searching for the final light, it felt a great surprise. It knew without knowing that this was one like him. Weaker, not as capable as him, but there. It felt curiosity, but it could discern that it was a foreign emotion. In that instant, a flash of pain ripped through the dragonet's mind, possibilities unfolding and multiplying even faster than the other three dim lights combined. It turned away. It felt activity. One of the dim lights was changing. It felt excitement from the great lights, and something indescribable from the dim light. Suddenly, that excitement turned to alarm. One of the great lights, the one who radiated rage, moved, and both lights grew more distant. From the dim light, it could feel loss, helplessness, and despair. A second movement. The alarm morphed back into excitement, and from the newly hatched dragonet, it sensed triumph. Resigning itself to the call of the moons, the dragonet began to struggle. A crack appeared in the egg. Another. The two connected. And the dragonet opened its eyes to see three great silver eyes, shining above. It looked to the side and saw a strange being, in the same location that it could sense a dim light, slowly growing brighter, shining with wonder. Looking down, it saw that it was the same colour as the space between the moons. A noise brought its attention back upwards, towards the light with the sense of resignation. The being in front of him, a similar colour to the small being beside it, made noises that the dragonet could not understand, but would remember for the rest of its life.

"Starflight. His name is Starflight."


	2. Snapshots, Part 1

**Hermes: Hi, Hermes here. Just thought you might want to know what happened between the prologue and the main events! Because of this, I have hijacked the plot. Uh-oh!**

**Apollo: HERMES! Get back here little brother. Wait a sec. Are those... REVIEWERS! *Unmanly squee* This demands a haiku!**

**Hermes and Artemis: NO NO NO NO NO!**

**Apollo: Look, our first reviews - You're all wonderful people! I am so awesome.**

**Artemis: How many times do we have to tell you, you suck at poetry!**

**Apollo: What! How dare you! For that, I shall have my revenge! I, Apollo, generally awesome dude, do henceforth curse thee to speak today's disclaimer!**

**Artemis: Well that isn't so bad...**

**Apollo: IN RHYME!**

**Hermes: Pfft. That's what you get for tempting fate. Damned old hags. Anyway, where was I... Oh yes! Due to Starflight's extremely powerful but also capricious powers, the dragonets do know that Sunny is half NightWing, and Starflight does realize that he must keep some secrets, and others have not been revealed to him. Basically, whatever we say he knows, he knows.**

**Apollo: Also, I left some rather unsubtle foreshadowing as to the contents of the next chapter. Arty, the disclaimer?**

**Artemis: I hate you, I want to cover you in glue! We don't own Wings of Fire, Apollo I want to hit you with your lyre, Tui T. Sutherland is simply divine, and now I'll stick an arrow where even you don't shine.**

**Apollo (While running away laughing): Be original with your rhymes, Arty! The third one was decent though.**

**Hermes: Anyway, on with Snapshots!**

* * *

_5006 A.S. (After Scorching)_

_The dragonets are almost a year old._

"_Fooooooooooood_"

"_Fooooooooooood_"

"_Camelzzzzzzzzzzz_"

"_Cooooooooowzzzzzzzzzz_"

"_By the Moons, Clay, why are you so LOUD!_" Thought Starflight irritably. Of course, he didn't broadcast the thought. Clay was only more annoying when woken up early.

"_Relax, Starflight. He's not that loud._" Thought Sunny quietly, nudging Starflight consolingly with her tail. "_Just ignore him. At least he's not Kestrel._"

"_Can you imagine Kestrel doing that? Tell me that's not funny. And somewhat horrible._" Replied Starflight, with a small wince.

"_Speaking of Kestrel, why aren't you just ignoring Clay? You find it easy enough to ignore Kestrel's endless muttering about lizards. And if you can't sleep now, how have you managed for most of a year?_"

"_Part of it is tiredness, and part of it is the others being so tired that they don't really dream much. At least you can keep your thoughts quiet. How do you manage?_"

"_Same as you, mostly. I guess that being able to read minds, we tend to naturally keep our thoughts quiet._"

"_Maybe. So, you think tuning them out will help? What should I do, drown Clay out with thoughts of Kestrel wrestling lizards?_"

"_Sure! If that's what works for you, go for it! I think I'll try to sleep too. I can only take so much of Kestrel beating us up. Sweet dreams, Starflight._"

"_Sweet dreams, Sunny._"

Narrowing his focus to Clay, Starflight then tried to imagine Kestrel wrestling lizards, cursing all the while, and despite having to pause when he almost woke Clay up with a stray image, Starflight was able to block out Clay's thoughts. Slowly making his imagined Kestrel quieter, until he could hear nothing in any way save for the gurgling of the underground river, he fell asleep.

* * *

_5006 A.S. _

_The dragonets are a little over a year old._

"Tsunami? What are your glowing scales for?"

"They are to light up dark places, Duh. Ooh, come here!"

Starflight, having dreamed of the ocean the previous night, and of SeaWings other than Tsunami and Webs using their scale patterns underwater in what looked like a series of signals, and sensing Tsunami's intention, did not step closer. Instead, he continued with his rough plan.

"You don't actually know, do you."

"What? Yes I do! If you're so smart, Mr. Mind Reading NightWing -"

"SHHHHHHHHH"

"_You would already know. So do you? Huh?_"

"_No. I have a guess, but I'm not sure how close it is. Why don't you ask Webs? He would probably know, and he's nicer than Kestrel, and a SeaWing._"

"Why would I even -"

"SHHHHHHHHH"

"_Why would I even ask Kestrel of all dragons? Even Dune is easier to talk to!_"

"_I didn't mean go ask Kestrel, just ask Webs!_"

"_I just realized you actually have to be reading my mind right now._"

"_What gave it away?_"

"_Whatever._"

"_Just remember, you and the others are the only ones that can know about my powers, and Sunny's too. I don't know why, but it will be bad. I can tell that much._"

"_Fine. Do you want me to ask Webs, or not?_"

Stomping away from Starflight, Tsunami went to search the cave for Webs, eventually finding him relaxing in the river.

* * *

"Hey Webs?"

"Yes, Tsunami?"

"What are our glowey scales for?"

"It actually varies based on the situation. As I'm sure you figured out, seeing as you know that your scales glow, they can be used for self defense. Beyond that, they can be used for communication, or for… Other things."

"Self defense? How? And what did you mean by other things?"

"By blinding whatever is unlucky enough to be looking at you, little wave. And as for the other things, you'll understand when you're older." "_Much older._"

"But what did you mean by communication? Like a secret code?"

"More like a language. That reminds me, I should really teach it to you. How do you feel about having the first lesson right now?"

"Can the others learn it too?"

"They can possibly learn to understand it, but they will never be able to 'speak' it. They don't have the glowing scales used to do so. Go ask them if they're interested, then come back here for your first lesson."

Nodding, Tsunami went around the cave, enticing the others, especially Glory, with the promise of learning a secret language. Starflight, seeing that his plan was working, merely smiled and laughed, promising to meet Tsunami at the river. Returning with her fellow dragonets in tow, they eagerly sat down and began listening to Webs.

"Now, the basics. The language is called Aquatic…"

* * *

_5007 A.S._

_The dragonets are almost two years old._

"Faster, you lizard! If you were fighting for your life right now, you'd be dead about six times over by now!"

"I'm doing my best, you are WAY bigger than me."

"EVERYONE'S bigger than you, runt! Use your size to your advantage!"

"Ok, ok, I'm working on it." Sunny muttered as she tried to roll under Kestrel's wing.

"Don't TRY, DO! What does trying get you in a battle except injured, and likely dead?" Argued Kestrel as she slapped Sunny back in front of her with her tail.

Sunny fainted trying to go under her again, then jumped up and flapped awkwardly over her head.

"That's a bit better, runt, but still not good enough!" Shouted Kestrel, rearing up on her back legs and knocking Sunny into the ceiling. "You can be more agile in this confined space!"

Suddenly, without knowing how she knew, Sunny realized that Kestrel was about to breath fire at her. Feinting left towards a stalagmite, Sunny lunged left, hearing a hiss and a flash of heat barely missing her tail, and slashing at Kestrel's flank.

"Good! Now let's see if you can keep it up." Remarked Kestrel, jumping back and to her right, in front of Sunny again.

Sunny jumped forward and, dodging the swipe from Kestrel that she knew would happen, despite not seeing any movements heralding the action, jabbed her tail into Kestrel's neck, and as she stiffened she dove forward and bit the vulnerable spot on Kestrel's tail.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Get some rest, and send in the next lizard, Tsunami, I think."

Nodding quickly, Sunny turned around and left the room, careful in case Kestrel tried a surprise attack in the name of training, of course. She had much to discuss with Starflight.

* * *

"Starflight?"

Glancing up from his scroll on the history of animus magic, Starflight was slightly surprised to see Sunny rather than Glory. After all, Sunny was, as far as Starflight could remember, supposed to be training with Kestrel right now, while Glory enjoyed visiting the library on occasion to just relax, read, or simply to bug him to get his nose out of a scroll. Certainly more so than Clay or Tsunami.

"Yes Sunny?"

"You know how I can read minds like you?"

"Um, yeah? Hey, wanna learn something interesting about animus magic?"

"Um, not now, something happened in battle training today."

"What happened?"

"When Kestrel was fighting me I saw her clawing at me before it happened, it sounded like how you always describe visions." Sunny whispered.

"_You know telepathy is more secure, Sunny. Can you show me the memory?_"

"_Ok, go ahead._" Sunny thought, concentrating on the memory.

After Starflight finished living through Sunny's memory, his eyes widened.

"_It doesn't seem to be like my sort of visions. I see things, causes, effects, bleeding into each other so much that it occasionally hurts to experience. This seems much more… Immediate. Like precognition. Actually, yeah, precognition. Interesting! So, now do you want to learn about animus magic?_"

"Maybe later, I have to think." Having said this, Sunny turned around, left the room, and left Starflight to his reading.

* * *

**Apollo: I would, however, like to note that all three of us are students. Most of our writing takes place late at night. We have no update schedule, we just upload whenever convenient. On the bright side, 3 of us means 1/8 the chance of everyone involved in the story suffering writer's block at the same time! See you next time!**


	3. Snapshots, Part 2

**Apollo: Hey guys! R.L. bit us all, but we're back, with a new chapter and a beta! A buddy of ours has agreed to help us. Say hello!**

**?: Hello.**

**Apollo: Oh, don't be like that, introduce yourself!**

**Iris: I dunno what to say... I guess I'm Iris then. The unofficial beta reader. **

**Apollo: And by that we mean that she's not connected to us via FFN. Anyway, to spare my poor siblings the trouble, I'm writing the disclaimer in haiku. **

**Hermes: Please, if you have any soul inside of you, don't.**

**Artemis: Your haikus are awful, and if you curse me again, I'll follow through on my threat last chapter.**

**Apollo: Don't worry, you're not cursed. **

_**We do not own this.**_

_**Wings of Fire is Sutherland's,**_

_**We would be so rich.**_

**There, was that so bad?**

**Hermes and Artemis: Yes.**

**Iris: I kinda liked it...**

**Hermes: You're nuts, rainbow girl.**

**Apollo: Well on to the story then!**

* * *

_5007 A.S._

_The dragonets are about two years and four months old._

"We should totally try it!" Exclaimed Tsunami, pacing excitedly.

Looking up from his book on old SeaWing traditions, Starflight groaned slightly. Tsunami had been so much more annoying since he found the book, always with a question or exclamation. While it was refreshing to see Tsunami so interested in knowledge, Starflight had to admit that it got tiring after a while.

"You know what? FINE. Despite me telling you for the past TWO WEEKS that it's a bad idea. You get to convince the others. I'll meet you at the river with suitable rocks."

It was rare that any of the other dragonets would ignore Starflight's predictions of doom, but on occasion, there was something that caused the other dragonets to disregard even one of their own. In this case, Starflight detected a higher than normal chance of doom, despair, and the world imploding. Not as high as the time Tsunami suggested they try to escape the cave via the sky-hole, which if successful would have been extremely dangerous, but close. Of course, nothing could compare to the risk of revealing his or Sunny's powers to anyone who didn't, at this point, already know.

"Ok! About time you agreed! Just don't forget the rocks."

* * *

"Clay! Starflight finally agreed to let us do the thing! Come on!"

"Do what?" Clay asked looking up from the cow he was having for lunch in confusion.

"To test the thing! You know," She looked around then whispered "the Animus test."

"But I'm eating, can't it wait?" Clay complained starting to go back to his cow.

"No! I want to do it now! Before Starflight changes his mind!"

"Ok, ok but I can eat my cow later right?" Asked Clay.

"If you don't start moving I'm going to eat your cow! Hurry up!" Tsunami hissed

"Yep, got it, hurrying up now." Clay said as he got up shook out his wings and started to walk only to stop after a few steps "Where exactly am I going?".

"The river, now go!" Tsunami huffed rolling her eyes and moving to one of the sleeping caves were Glory was napping.

* * *

Glory's first idea that her peaceful nap was ruined was when Tsunami jumped on her, completely squishing her and causing a very undignified squeak that she would forever deny. "By the moons! Why did you do that!" Glory half hissed half yelped.

"Do you want to see if you're an Animus dragon!" Tsunami asked.

"You convinced him! Finally! It's been two weeks!" Glory practically yelled. "Let's go!"

"It's at the river!" Tsunami yelled after her. "_That was a lot easier than Clay."_ Going to the training cave to find Sunny. All she had to do was ask and she readily agreed. Together the gold and blue dragons walked to the river.

* * *

Starflight sighed. He had hidden the rocks on the fifth day, anticipating that Tsunami would not give in but hoping that she would. Tsunami was, after all, very determined. However, at least he had a bit more time to read. Putting his scroll on SeaWing tradition away, Starflight instead picked out a scroll on Animus magic and opened it to a section that he hadn't already read. The section was marked "Animus Dragons - Distribution". At a glance, Starflight saw that Animus dragons were, throughout history, somewhat rare. Notably among the SeaWing and IceWing royal families, but also among the NightWings and SandWings. At one line, he paused.

"Animus magic is thought to be hereditary."

The feeling of impending doom that Starflight had been feeling since stumbling upon the Animus test spiked. Suddenly, it all fell into place. The only way that the carrying out of the old SeaWing tradition could affect events beyond them being caught was if one or more of the dragonets actually had Animus magic. Starflight quickly discarded himself and Clay as options. He had, more than once, heard Clay try to enchant his food to multiply when the caretakers weren't looking. And as for himself, he had also tried to enchant a rock to carefully bring a scroll into his reach. The rock had remained stubbornly unmoved. Considering the remaining three dragonets, he remembered that the scroll had contained no examples of RainWing Animus dragons. He closed his eyes and focused on Tsunami, hoping to catch a glimpse of the future. Finding a nearby branch in the timeline of Tsunami attempting Animus magic was easy, fortunately. Focusing, cursing under his breath, he was able to call a full vision of the scene, though he had to maintain constant focus to avoid losing it. Fortunately, it seemed that luck was on his side, as he was not immediately ripped out of his vision by the infinite permutations of fate.

"I command this rock to fly forward and strike… Clay!"

The rock didn't move. Sighing in relief, Starflight allowed the vision to escape. Now the only likely candidate for Animus power was Sunny, which meant that she almost certainly had the power. Still, he had to be sure. After all, the thought of what Glory would be able to do with Animus magic was slightly terrifying. At least Sunny was generally responsible. Diving back into the ever-changing flow of time, he tried to call a vision of Sunny attempting Animus magic. Instead, he got an image. A statue of a dragon, made of black stone, lying in a cave. Starflight was confused. Why would he see a statue? The statue moved. It turned its head. And then Starflight realized. It was staring… At him. It was not a statue as Starflight had thought. It was a living dragon, its scales transmuted into stone in places. The vision changed. It was the same cave, but the petrified dragon wasn't there. Then, the dragon walked into the room, and spoke.

"I enchant my scales such that as my magic affects my soul, the effect on my soul shall, instead of driving me to madness, turn my scales to stone. And when I am truly irredeemable, may I turn to stone in full, never to live again."

Then the dragon lay down, and the vision ended. Starflight growled lightly and tried to find a vision of Sunny's parentage. Nothing happened. It seems his luck had run out. However, based on his vision, he could safely assume that Sunny was an Animus dragon. The feeling of doom, which he had believed to be at a peak, intensified even further, and this time Starflight understood why. If he suspected, there were now no timelines in which nobody knew, or even guessed, of the existence of Sunny's powers. And in this realization the dread increased yet again, and Starflight knew that he needed to address the issue, one way or another, at the river. Because Sunny was an Animus dragon, and left unchecked? She could be their doom.

* * *

As Starflight walked into the room, Tsunami glanced up from where she was lying.

"Hey Starflight! So where are the rocks?"

Instead of responding, Starflight merely chuckled, moved to a stalagmite near the wall, and from behind it drew five stones, each the size of his eye.

"I know the tradition calls for coconuts, but I think these will have to suffice. There is already too high a risk of injury without having rocks the size of coconuts."

"Ok, fine. So, line up, guys!"

The five dragonets lined up on the riverbank, facing away from the river, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. From Clay's reluctance to Glory and Tsunami's excitement, they were ready.

"Guys, maybe we shouldn't. We could be heard!"

"Oh, don't be such a smoke-breather, Starflight! Who's ready!" Exclaimed Tsunami.

"I'll go first then!" Said Glory.

"Remember - force the rock to obey you!" Added Tsunami.

Glory drew herself up to her full height - which was rather impressive for a two-year-old dragonet - and intoned "I command this rock to strike the wall!"

Nothing happened. Starflight felt his sense of dread go even higher. The discovery of Sunny as an Animus dragon was now inevitable.

"Okaaaaaaaaay… I'll go next!"

Tsunami glared at the rock, as if daring it to disobey her. "I command this rock to fly forward and strike… Clay!"

The rock didn't move, as Starflight knew it wouldn't. He had, after all, witnessed this very scene from the library.

"Talons and tails… Who's next?" At the rock's non-reaction, Tsunami looked disappointed.

"I guess I'll do it…" Muttered Clay. Barely raising his head, he spoke. "I command this rock to become a chicken. See, nothing happened, can I go now?"

True to Clay's interpretation, nothing had happened. Not even a single feather sprouted from the rock, stone or otherwise.

"Not yet, Clay, wait for Starflight and Sunny. Sunny, wanna go next?"

"I think Starflight should go before me. I get the feeling he knows just how this will go."

Standing, Starflight said "Mostly right, Sunny. Anyway, I command this rock to strike Tsunami."

Nothing happened. Starflight added "Before we continue, I need you guys to promise me not to leave this cave until I say so, ok?"

Glancing at each other, the other four dragonets nodded, slightly confused. Then Sunny put on her most determined expression, and ordered "I command this rock to strike the wall!"

The rock, entirely inert until then, suddenly flew straight forward and struck the wall with a clack. Before the sound had fully died away Starflight was talking again, this time telepathically.

"_We do not speak of this to anyone not currently here. Sunny, please don't use your magic unless you really need to, and I do mean in the life-threatening sense, of your own and others. We need to learn more about Animus magic at some point. The world depends on your responses… No pressure!_"

Slightly shaken by the double revelations, all four quickly nodded, and Starflight let out a breath he did not realize he was holding, feeling the sense of impending doom abating for the first time in two weeks.

"Good. Now, we need to go, Webs is going to be here in a minute using the river. The guardians are looking for us."

All five dragonets left the room, Sunny exiting seconds before Webs poked his head out of the river.

"I wonder where they went… I hope Dune and Kestrel are having better luck than I am."

* * *

_5008 A.S._

_The dragonets are a little under three years old._

"_Glory?_"

"_Yes, Starflight?_"

"_When were you planning on telling the others you can speak Aquatic?_"

At this Glory coughed, having been drinking some water when Starflight decided to talk. Starflight chuckled quietly.

"_You should totally see your face right now. I can arrange that, by the way._"

"_No thanks. How did you know?_"

"_Hmmm, let me think… I can read minds, see the future, and I've known you for our entire lives. What do you think gave it away? The fact that you will never pass up a potential advantage?_"

"_Point taken… Have you at least kept it secret from the guardians?_"

"_While I don't know why you've been keeping it secret, I've been keeping it secret because it would be somewhat inconvenient if the guardians realized that RainWings aren't completely useless after all. You would be under greater scrutiny, and that would make things more difficult in the future._"

"_Good point, I just wanted to keep it secret. Uh, what's that word you used? Scrimmage?_"

"_Scrutiny. You would be watched far more closely._"

"_Oh, ok. I guess you're off to train with Kestrel?_"

"_Three moons, I am. Don't expect me to be in any condition to do anything later today then. Bye!_"

And with that, Starflight left the room. Glory simply shrugged, and returned to a far more important matter: Napping.

* * *

_5009 A.S. _

_The dragonets are a little over four years old._

"Psst! Clay!"

"Huh?"

Slightly annoyed at having been woken from his nap, Clay looked at Starflight. He'd been having a good dream, too. Turkeys were prominently featured.

"You know, this just occurred to me - what is the significance of a MudWing egg the colour of dragon blood? Any idea?"

Unbidden, lines from the prophecy ran through Clay's mind - "_For wings of earth, search through the mud / for an egg the color of dragon blood._"

"I have no idea. Can you check? I want to go back to sleep."

"Sure."

* * *

"Uh, Webs?"

"Yes Starflight?"

"Do you know if red MudWing eggs have any significance beyond the prophecy?"

"No. This does seem like it could end up being important though, every advantage in war and all that. It might be in the library though. Want any help?"

"Sure. I don't think going through the whole library alone would be productive. Now?"

"Why not."

* * *

"Generic social information… family structure… powers… Here it is! Blood eggs."

"What does it say, Webs?"

"Says here that after exposure to mud, MudWings hatched from a blood egg are practically immune to fire. I suppose I'll ask Kestrel to collect some mud next time she goes out, then. This has been interesting, Starflight. Any further questions?"

"None, thanks Webs. I guess I should tell Clay, he should be up by now. Bye!"

Starflight left the library, thinking over the implications of what he had learned. Surprisingly, there were few. Perhaps in most timelines Clay's fire resistance was manifested without prior knowledge? Possible. It was too late to check, as Webs already knew, and therefore Clay would manifest the resistance soon.

* * *

"Clay! How are you still asleep?" Exclaimed Starflight, poking Clay awake with a claw.

"Hrrnffffffffffff… Again, Starflight? Really?"

"Do you want me to tell you what I found out, or not?"

"Fine. What?"

"Turns out that MudWings hatched from blood eggs - that's what they're called, by the way - manifest a near-immunity to fire once exposed to mud. Webs is going to ask Kestrel to get some at some point."

"Huh. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Fine. Be that way. I'm just going to tell the others then. Have a nice nap." Sighed Starflight.

* * *

_5010 A.S._

_The dragonets are five years old._

"So, what do you two think of them?" Asked Dune, as the three guardians lay in a circle in their cave.

"Some of them have potential, some of them are downright worthless. Clay and Starflight for the latter, Sunny and Tsunami for the former. I'm not so sure about the RainWing. She's unassuming, but I get the feeling she's hiding something. Probably worthless though." chipped in Kestrel.

"I think they may be hiding something as well. Something doesn't sit quite right about some of the things that have happened. They are surprisingly inquisitive." added Webs.

"And the way they know each other… It's almost as though they can read each other's minds. That can't be, though, only Starflight at most, right? Mysterious NightWing powers and all that. But if he did have powers, we would have noticed, right?" mused Dune.

"All the same, it is rather convenient, isn't it? The blood egg question, the Aquatic, Sunny's unusual proficiency in combat against a superior enemy…"

"I can confirm that the last one is probably just Sunny being a natural at fighting. Odd, given her attitude, but not impossible."

At this, Webs felt the need to contribute more. "On the bright side, as odd as those questions are, the dragonets may very well end up needing to understand Aquatic, and I'm sure I don't have to tell either of you how useful Clay being fireproof could end up being. Although I think testing it was going a bit too far, Kestrel…"

"It worked, didn't it? We needed to be sure."

"We are not having this conversation again, you two. Let's just go to sleep." decreed Dune.

Heeding the scarred SandWing, the three guardians quickly fell asleep. Unknown to them, a dragon the color of the rocks above them was crawling along the wall to the exit, careful not to make even the slightest sound. Glory had much to report.

* * *

"Were you caught?"

Glory was unsurprised to hear Tsunami ask, direct as the SeaWing was.

"No, and you could have asked Starflight. I'm sure he was keeping tabs on me. Right, Starflight?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Nothing beyond emotion, though. You do remember what Sunny and I promised, right?"

Tsunami and Glory replied immediately. "Never to fully delve into our minds unless we absolutely needed to or authorized it."

"Yep. So, what did you hear, Glory?"

"They're starting to suspect. Sunny's precognition is not very suspicious, but our telepathic conversations and important questions are making them think something's up. They're sure you don't have powers, Starflight, so no worries there. The last part just devolved into an argument about the merits of setting Clay on fire. I'm sure you can guess who advocated for it."

"So, that's it then. One more year, then we do… something. Good night, I guess." Said Starflight.

"Good night. Just remember to tell us immediately if you uncover something important." Replied Glory.

With those words exchanged, the Dragonets of Destiny fell asleep. One more year. Soon, they would be free.


	4. Showtime

**Apollo: Hello again to all our wonderful readers! To start with, we don't own Wings of Fire. Parts of this chapter are directly from The Dragonet Prophecy.**

**Artemis: Yay, no haikus!**

**Hermes: Whoo!**

**Apollo: Yes, yes. Now that that's over with, on to the real content of this AN. CanopyRainandSkyWing, you raise a valid point. Thank you.**

**Hermes: We are split on the issue.**

**Artemis: I think that they could probably do this. **

**Apollo: I agree. From Moon Rising, page 20, "The headache was so blistering, she considered running into the rock wall to knock herself out. And then, very softly, under all the yelling, she heard... Aha. There you are." I believe that this is Darkstalker projecting his thoughts to Moon, rather than Moon reading them.**

**Hermes: He's only allowing his thoughts! It's just two telepaths reading each other's active thoughts.**

**Apollo: And I'm telling you there is no way that Moon would have actually found a semi-distant voice through all the yelling of the dragonets around her, especially untrained!**

**Artemis: As you can see, we are divided, but in this fic, mindreaders can broadcast, partly because we already wrote it in.**

**Apollo: Canon seems undecided. What do you think? If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by PM or review, and we will try to address them. Enjoy!**

* * *

_5011 A.S. _

"I don't want to see the RainWing again, Kestrel."

* * *

"He'll be back by midday. It has to be done by then."

* * *

"Drowning would be simplest."

"I joined the Talons of Peace to _stop_ killing dragons. Why did Morrowseer even tell us to kill Glory?"

* * *

"I'll do it tonight while she's sleeping. I can get in there and break her neck before the others know what I'm doing."

* * *

Starflight woke with a gasp. This had to have been a true-dream. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have remembered so clearly. An unknown dragon named Morrowseer, Kestrel, Webs, and Dune, speaking. Brief glimpses, but all that remained were the words. Quickly closing his eyes again, Starflight attempted to look into the future and heard the same words. A true-dream indeed, then. Not the first he had, he had glimpsed SeaWings speaking Aquatic several years ago, and still could see the vision if he looked for it, but certainly the most terrifying. Of the three guardians, only Webs seemed to be truly against Glory's impending murder. For that matter, why were the guardians ordered to kill Glory? From the first part of his dream it was probably this mystery dragon, this Morrowseer, who told them to do it. By the name Morrowseer, this dragon was likely a NightWing. Starflight consoled himself with the knowledge that not only was the future not set in stone, but that even in that future it was possible that Glory survived. Looking into the future again, Starflight was shocked. In almost every future, there was an attempt to kill Glory, and about one in three of these futures included Glory's death due to this attempt. Incidentally, in every single one of these futures without Glory, Clay did not spy on a conversation between the guardians. Interesting. He would have to observe cautiously then. After all, he did not know if this Morrowseer had powers. Wait… Wasn't Morrowseer the one who made the prophecy in the first place? Yes, he was! Well, this is bad? How does one deal with a seer? Starflight groaned. Good thing Starflight was also a seer. This would be difficult… But not impossible.

* * *

"Starflight! Starflight!"

"What is it, Tsunami, I'm trying to study! What if Kestrel comes by!"

Lowering her voice to a whisper, Tsunami said "Sensitive information."

"_I'm listening. Reading. Whatever._"

"_Some dragon named Morrowseer will be here tomorrow._"

Starflight narrowed his gaze. When he projected again, his tone was unusually harsh. "_Are you sure? The name is Morrowseer? I assume you spied on the guardians again._"

"_Yes to both. Why the growling? Did you have a vision or something?_"

"_Yes. Now, I need to go, FAST._"

"_Wait. Do you know anything significant about Morrowseer?_"

"_If you remember your history, he's the reason we're all here. Get the others, I'll try to learn more. Gather them at your sleeping-cave._"

"_Okay? Just be careful, Starflight. I don't want any of you hurt._"

Tsunami left, slightly confused about Starflight's reaction. Meanwhile, Starflight closed his eyes and reached out. In the darkness, he could sense seven lights. They were no longer as simple to tell apart as they had been when he first became aware of them, but he knew from experience that each one was a mind. One light moving. That would be Tsunami. She would shortly find the other three dragonets and bring them to her sleeping-cave. Slightly further, he could perceive the other three lights. The guardians. Focusing on the closest, he found that it was Kestrel. Quietly, he started broadcasting. "_Morrowseer. Morrowseer. Morrowseer._" An image of a large black dragon. He had been correct, Morrowseer was a NightWing. Morrowseer was holding an egg. His egg, if Kestrel's accompanying thoughts were any indication. The prophecy. A message.

'Morrowseer is coming.'

Withdrawing, Starflight considered the ramifications of this knowledge. He had a time now. Tomorrow. They would have to plan quickly, and hope Morrowseer did not look for their plans.

* * *

"What's wrong Starflight? Why the urgency?"

"I have had a vision, Sunny. This is an important one. Glory, you might want to sit down for this."

Glory, previously climbing a stalagmite to occupy herself, slid down. "What is it?"

"I'll be blunt - your life is in danger, Glory. You must disappear by tomorrow. Do not be found."

"What? Why? How am I in danger?"

"Tsunami, have you told them about Morrowseer?"

"No. Clay, did you?"

"Yes. What does he have to do with your vision?"

"The first part of my dream was an unknown dragon saying 'I don't want to see the RainWing again, Kestrel.' Later, the guardians were discussing, and Webs said 'Why did Morrowseer even tell us to kill Glory?' I checked the dream after. This is a true vision. Most of the futures involve some sort of murder attempt."

"Sounds serious. Well, you haven't steered us wrong yet, Starflight. I guess I should hide soon then. Did you make sure that the guardians weren't nearby when you started talking about your powers?"

"Yes, they are all in their sleeping-cave. Another thing I need to tell you all."

"What is it, then?" Asked Sunny.

"The time to escape is nigh. Within three days we must leave. The prophecy is upon us. We have a small window of opportunity, centered at tomorrow night. Glory, you must wait to hide until after Morrowseer arrives. Otherwise, I don't know what will happen. I'll contact you four telepathically when the time comes."

"About time!" Chorused Tsunami and Glory.

"Well, that's all I got. Be yourselves, but don't reveal anything about powers. Think of history. I of all dragons know that trying not to think of something gets you thinking of it."

With that said, the dragonets dispersed, going back to whatever they needed or wanted to do. Tsunami to the river, eager to spend as much time in it as she could before the guardians restrained her, Sunny and Glory to the training cave, Clay left to sleep elsewhere, and Starflight returned to the library. All they could do now was follow the plan.

* * *

Starflight was nervous. The five dragonets, along with the guardians, were gathered at the entrance tunnel, awaiting Morrowseer. Suddenly, there was movement in the shadows, and a large dragon, dark as a bottomless pit and even larger than Kestrel, stepped forth, spreading his jagged wings intimidatingly. He cast his gaze over each dragonet in turn. Starflight, glancing to the sides, noticed that his friends were just as scared as he was. As Morrowseer's gaze turned to Glory, Starflight saw him sneer in disgust.

"What. Is. THAT?" He growled, and if words could kill they would all be dead a dozen times over from the sheer venom dripping from the words. Trails of violet and gold wound across Glory's scales, shifting fluidly, and interspersed with streaks of red and that acid green born of pure terror.

"There was an accident." Kestrel said. "The SkyWing egg was destroyed, so we had to get a replacement -"

"From the **RainWings**?" Interrupted Morrowseer.

"It was his idea, **he** brought her egg here!" Snarled Kestrel, whipping her tail at Webs.

"At least we have five dragonets, that's what matters." Interjected Webs.

"More like four and a half. You -" Said Morrowseer, jabbing a claw at Sunny. "Are you supposed to be the SandWing? Don't you eat? What's wrong with you?"

After a few tense seconds in which Sunny tried to squeak out an answer, Tsunami intervened. "She does. She eats fine. As much as anyone."

"She's the best fighter of us all, and Glory's not far behind." Clay said.

"You. Shut up." Turning from Clay to the guardians, Morrowseer continued. "Something has gone very wrong here."

Sensing Tsunami's intent, Starflight knew what was coming. However, with Tsunami's stubbornness, there was no other way events would play out.

"Yes! It has, and I can tell you what. We're treated like prisoners! We've never been outside these caves, not once. All we know about this world we're supposed to save is what we've learned in scrolls. We're supposed to be the most important dragonets in the world, but those three treat us like blind salamanders!"

Starflight couldn't help but feel that the rant was a little unfair. Hadn't Webs taught them Aquatic? Helped with Clay's fire resistance? Hadn't Kestrel taught them how to fight? Anyway, the damage was done.

"Tsunami, hold your tongue." Dune snapped.

"I will not!" Cried Tsunami. Turning to Morrowseer, she continued. "Please get us out of here, take us away with you."

"Ungrateful lizard!" Kestrel growled. Starflight agreed. Just because the guardians hadn't let them leave doesn't mean that the skills that they taught the dragonets were worthless.

Suddenly, Morrowseer lunged at Tsunami. Clay leapt to her defense, and together the two dragonets fought valiantly, but were unable to inflict any harm upon Morrowseer. Suddenly, Morrowseer growled in surprise, sounding slightly pained, and swung his tail into view. Hanging from the end, biting into the vulnerable spot near the end shared by all tribes, was Sunny.

"Ha," Morrowseer rumbled. "That's a surprise." As he plucked Sunny off his tail and deposited her onto the ground, Starflight's eyes widened fractionally. So Morrowseer certainly couldn't see the future the way Sunny could. Perhaps his Sight simply functioned the same way as Starflight's own.

"That one will do," Said Morrowseer, pointing at Tsunami. "And so will that one." Continued Morrowseer, nodding at Clay. "This one… We'll have to see." He finished, studying Sunny.

"We followed the prophecy," Dune insisted. "She wasn't in a clutch of eggs - I found her egg alone, buried out in the desert. Just like the prophecy said."

"As for you," Morrowseer looked at Starflight, "I assume you used your NightWing powers to figure out that I wasn't going to harm the SeaWing. Perhaps you even had a vision of my visit today. No doubt you already know that I'm going to take you into the next cavern for a private conversation." Turning to the guardians, he continued. "We'll talk about **her** later."

Together, the two NightWings walked towards the study room. However, Starflight couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Then he realized what had got him suspicious. Why had Morrowseer phrased his statements in such a way that provided the answer to itself?

* * *

Arriving in the study room, Morrowseer turned around and glanced back down the tunnel. Satisfied that they had not been followed, he turned his gaze to Starflight.

"I'm sure you have already guessed why I've brought you here."

"Is it because I'm the NightWing of the five?"

"Precisely. As a strong and noble NightWing, you are a natural leader amongst dragons. To that end, you must know how to conduct yourself."

Stretching out with his powers to lightly brush Morrowseer's mind, so gently that it would almost certainly be imperceptible, Starflight asked his next question. "Does this have anything to do with the prophecy?"

At this, Morrowseer replied. "Why yes, it does." However, Starflight's question had prompted images in Morrowseer's mind. Lava. A great dragon. Ice. Long discussions. A painstakingly crafted prophecy. It was a fake. Morrowseer had made up the prophecy with the help of another.

"The line 'Darkness will rise to bring the light'. It obviously refers to us NightWings. We, acting through you and your group, are going to be what ends the war. This brings us to another point. Blister must be the one to ascend to the SandWing throne. I have seen it -" Lies. Starflight could tell from his feather-light touch on Morrowseer's mind that this was a lie. "- Blister is the only one who can feasibly be a good queen. Burn is too violent, and Blaze is roughly equal in intelligence to a common camel."

"Seen it? You can see the future?"

"Yes." _No._

"Can you also read minds? Is that power common?"

"Yes indeed, and it is. NightWings tend to develop their powers at about thirteen years of age."

That statement was entirely false. The thoughts flying through Morrowseer's mind were now reflective. _No powers. Not in thousands of years. Not since -_ At this thought Morrowseer stopped himself. Starflight, through long experience deceiving the guardians, managed to avoid reacting. Why would Morrowseer censor his own thoughts if he believed that NightWings had been powerless for thousands of years? Moving on, Starflight asked "And where do you live? The maps we have don't mention where."

"We don't live on the mainland, but rather on an island in the North."

_Fire. Lava. Clouds. Smoke. Death. Hunger._

"So why is it that we live in an area so remote as to be off the maps, while all the other tribes live on the mainland?"

"The reason has been lost to time, I'm afraid. All we know is that we used to live on a peninsula adjacent to SandWing territory, and that the area is now abandoned. Part of it has disappeared under the sea."

_Tunnels. A forest. A desert. An island._

"So, we were talking about how I should conduct myself?"

"Ah, yes. Be mysterious, be vague, and above all, be cautious. It would not do to fail."

"And what about Glory?"

"Don't worry about the RainWing. I'll take care of it. You may go, and do not tell the others what I have told you."

Shaken, Starflight left the study cave and returned to his friends. He was relieved that Morrowseer was powerless, but he was also certain of his chosen course of action. After all, the last thought he had gleaned from Morrowseer's mind was nothing but a confirmation of Starflight's worries.

_Death._

* * *

Starflight slunk back into the main hall, Morrowseer close behind him. Without a word to any of the three dragonets still there to listen, the enormous NightWing departed to the guardian's cave. Starflight watched him leave, then turned and headed to his sleeping cave. Clay caught up with him.

"What happened?"

"_Later. For now…_" At this, Starflight fired off a message to the other four dragonets. "_Meeting in my sleeping-cave. Attendance not optional. Stakes - the world._"

"That serious? Three moons."

* * *

The moment Tsunami entered the cave, Starflight began.

"We don't have much time. Tonight, after Morrowseer leaves, I will tell you the rest of the plan. Glory, now is the time to hide. This is important - Morrowseer has no powers. He is a fraud, I got it from his own mind. No NightWing, to his knowledge, has had powers in thousands of years. Now, Tsunami, Glory, you two need to leave now. Sunny, follow Tsunami at a distance. Clay, stay here, spy on the guardians later. Reconvene at the river, tonight. Go!"

Shocked from the revelation, the dragonets quickly obeyed Starflight's instructions, with faith that the NightWing would not steer them wrong.

* * *

"Did you know this would happen?" Huffed Tsunami, from her spot chained to a column of rock.

"Yes. I'm reasonably sure it had to happen. Clay, did they discuss killing Glory?"

"Y-yes. They did. Kestrel plans to do it tonight."

"Good. Well, not good, but according to my visions. THIS is why Glory needed to hide. Now, the plan." Suddenly shifting to telepathy, he continued. "_Sunny, you and I will melt Tsunami's chains. Tsunami, Clay, you two will escape by the river. Go downstream. You are nearly guaranteed to survive. Best chance we have. While they are escaping by the river, I will be talking to the guardians. I had a vision while Tsunami was being chained - there is danger imminent. We must beware. Dune is at greatest risk. I plan to reveal my powers and warn them. Webs and Dune will see reason, I'm sure of it. Kestrel is a bit riskier, but that's why Glory will remain hidden. My power of telepathy is easily proven. The fate of the world depends on us… Let us begin._"


	5. Revelation

**Artemis: So... This chapter was surprisingly quick to write.**

**Apollo: Yep! We don't own Wings of Fire, some of this is copied from The Dragonet Prophecy, and fair warning - this is going to have a fair amount of Hunger Games references in the next couple chapters.**

**Hermes: To Echoflight21, thank you for your constant support on every chapter so far. We can say with certainty that you have submitted half the reviews so far.**

**Apollo: In addition, we would like to thank ShadwsOfSong for the compliment. That is indeed our aim. And to our other two reviewers, thank you as well. I know there are three others, but we already mentioned Canopy on the last AN. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to drop us a PM or review. It is common knowledge that we authors eat reviews for sustenance. Without further ado, on to our surprisingly long chapter! Seriously, I thought this would end up at maybe two-thirds the length.**

**Artemis: Apollo and Hermes are sooooo annoying, do you guys mind if they disappear, forever? Please?**

**Hermes: I resemble that remark!**

**Apollo: You hypocrite. Besides, if I disappeared, who would write the haikus and poems, not to mention most of the story?**

**Artemis: No haikus!**

**Apollo: They've waited enough. We should end this author's note. On with storytime!**

* * *

"Wait. How are we going to find you?" Asked Tsunami.

Surprisingly, it was Clay who replied. "You know that sky-hole in the library? Can you set a fire so that the smoke goes through the hole?"

Starflight blinked. That was an incredibly obvious solution. Therefore, it made sense that he had completely overlooked it in favor of a convoluted plan involving Animus magic and rocks. "Good idea. We'll do it."

Without further discussion, Starflight started breathing fire on Tsunami's chains, Sunny adding her own fire to the effort after a couple seconds. Before long, the chain was weak enough for Tsunami to simply break free, and she and Clay dove into the river, swimming downstream.

"Now that that part's done, let's go find the guardians."

"Starflight?"

"Yes Sunny?"

"Are you sure about revealing your powers? You don't know what will happen."

"No, I don't. But revealing my powers will lend credence to my claims of imminent danger, and we don't have to reveal yours. In fact, it would probably be better not to reveal your powers, as a hidden advantage, if you will. Get it?"

"I guess… I hope for all our sakes your gift didn't pick now to deceive you. We both know it's unreliable."

"While my visions are unreliable, they are never false. Even the ones with unknown context. Now come on, we're wasting time."

That said, Starflight hurried ahead, already heading to the place he thought the guardians would be.

* * *

"Dune!"

"What is it, Starflight? Oh, and Sunny as well!"

"As I'm sure you'll find out in a few minutes, Tsunami, Clay, and Glory are nowhere to be found."

At this, a flash of alarm shot across Dune's mind.

"WHAT! What did you five do?!"

"Depends. Glory's hiding, the other two escaped. We know about your plan to kill Glory, you see."

"I'm not even going to ask. So why have you told me this? Seems to me the best choice would be to keep quiet on the off chance that Tsunami and Clay can find you from the outside."

"Ordinarily, you'd be right. But not all is as it seems." Sending a quick thought to Sunny, Starflight asked "_Do you want to reveal your powers?_"

"_No. Like you said, a hidden advantage._"

"_All right._" Continuing physically, Starflight declared "Those NightWing powers in scrolls? I have them. Well, not the invisibility, that's just ridiculous, but mind-reading? Seeing the future? I have them, and I have known this since… Actually, just before I hatched. Weird."

"And I suppose the next step in your plan is to bluff me into letting you go for some grand plan? I'm not falling for it."

"I can prove it. Can you bring Kestrel here? We'll get Webs, then I'll prove my powers."

"Fine. Not like you're getting out of here through solid rock."

Turning around to go to Webs, Starflight chuckled and nudged Sunny. "_If only he knew._"

* * *

"So what's this I hear about powers, lizards?"

"Nice to see you too, Kestrel. Let's start simple. Think of a number between one and… one thousand."

_Why do I have to do this?_

"Humor me. Do it. Or don't, your choice."

Shrugging, Kestrel thought of a number.

_42_

"It's 42. Want to try again? Or maybe you want me to tell you what you're thinking right now."

_Pfft, like he could._

"Pfft, like he could."

_This is nothing more than a good guess. A very lucky guess._

"This is nothing more than a good guess. A very lucky guess. Webs, you want to try?"

Webs thought for a moment, then decided.

_Riptide_

"Who's Riptide?"

Seeing a SeaWing in Webs' mind, Starflight noted that he looked vaguely familiar.

"Dune, you want to try?"

"Ah, sure. I'll even give you a hint - It's not anyone connected to you, as far as I know."

_Six-Claws_

"Well, that's a weird name. So, who is this Six-Claws?"

"Nobody you need to know about, but fine, you've convinced me. Why are you telling us this?"

Tearing his attention away from the maelstrom of pain and anguish that was Dune at the very thought of the name Six-Claws, Starflight pressed on.

"The first thing you need to know is… Morrowseer is a fraud. A fake. Powerless. I got that information from his own mind."

"WHAT!" Roared the guardians.

"It's true. As far as he knows, no NightWing in thousands of years has been able to read minds or see the future. The prophecy? Very well crafted, but it was fabricated by Morrowseer and at least one other NightWing."

"So… We've been manipulated. How long have you known about it?" Asked Webs.

"About a day. Until Morrowseer arrived, I had to work under the assumption that all NightWings had these powers."

"So what would you have us do about it?" Kestrel interjected angrily.

"I'm getting to that. The second thing you need to know is that we're in danger. Not sure how, but the danger exists. Dune, you are the one most at risk."

Before the guardians could respond, Sunny jumped in. "So are you still planning on killing Glory after what we're telling you?"

Webs sighed. "I guess not. I was against it in the first place, and that's when we still thought Morrowseer had powers. Are we in agreement?"

Kestrel and Dune nodded. Kestrel still seemed slightly furious. Starflight was unsurprised. It was fortunate that the other two had taken his revelations as well as they had. Perhaps they were still a bit shocked by his powers? Glancing into their minds he found that to be the case.

Starflight continued "Good. We plan to start a small fire in the library so that Clay and Tsunami can find us. Dune, you must stay out of the way of whatever happens. I'm reasonably sure that everyone else will be fine. Kestrel, you need to go looking for Clay and Tsunami, or our chances go down. I think the time to return will be obvious, but I don't know what that time is. Webs… Just trust your instincts. As far as I can tell from my visions, Dune is in grave danger and if Kestrel doesn't go looking, we will likely fail. Will you do this?"

Dune responded first. "I didn't survive this long by not knowing when to run. But for all our sakes, I hope you're right."

Webs answered next. "Sure. At least this answers some of our suspicions about you five. And by the way, we do have plans in case some or all of you vanish mysteriously. Kestrel would be looking the moment we realized you were gone."

Kestrel snapped "Fine, I'll do it. Any other secrets you want to tell us?"

Inwardly, Starflight winced. At least they agreed.

"Nope. When you get a chance, get to Jade Mountain. It's neutral ground, a prominent landmark, and conveniently located."

At this, Starflight, with Sunny right behind him and Glory fading into visibility beside him, exited the room.

_Well that went well. At least I got that whole 'shock and awe' thing right. Who knew Kestrel was so agreeable when astonished?_

* * *

The boulder blocking the entrance rolled aside with a soft scraping sound. Waiting by the river, Starflight, Sunny, and Glory could see Clay on the other side, Tsunami leaning into view a couple seconds later. Glory momentarily flashed a bright gold along her ruff but it quickly faded back into deep blue.

"Congrats on surviving! Was it hard?" Asked Starflight.

"Not really. I would have been in trouble if I was alone, though… I got stuck a few times on the way down the river." Replied Clay, as he and Tsunami walked into the central cave.

"Did you run into any trouble?" Responded Starflight, half-dreading the answer.

"Not much. So you failed to convince the guardians to let us go? I saw Kestrel's tracks exiting the cave." Tsunami jumped in.

His tone becoming slightly harsh, Starflight continued. "What trouble?"

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice exclaimed "What **thrilling** news. Kestrel is part of this? I've been looking for **her** for an awfully long time."

The gazes of the dragonets snapped to the rather small SkyWing who said this, and Clay and Tsunami tensed. The tunnel was blocked by a row of SkyWings in different shades of flame - all of them large, all of them breathing small spurts of flame, and all of them angry. None of them, however, were angrier than the SkyWing in front of the row.

"I haven't seen Kestrel in, what, seven years?" continued the mysterious SkyWing, in a pleasant voice dissonant to the rage in her eyes, her tail whipping back and forth. "What a fun reunion this is going to be. All my least favorite dragons in one place. And to think, I didn't even have to do anything other than follow the smoke."

Clay took a step back, spreading his wings protectively. However, Starflight could see him trembling, and hear the litany of _My idea, my fault_ running through Clay's mind.

"Who - who are you?" Sunny squeaked. Starflight could not fault her for panicking. After all, while he had known there was danger, he did not know that it was in the form of several angry SkyWings. Regardless, at the next sentence uttered by the SkyWing, Starflight's eyes widened as he realized exactly how bad the situation had become.

"Now really, this is getting insulting. You're in **my **territory. Apparently you're living under **my** mountain. I am **only** the most important dragon for **hundreds of miles**. How **dare** you not recognize me?" She said, arching her neck and spreading her own, bejeweled, wings.

"Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings." Breathed Starflight. As he crouched low, touching his head to the floor and crossing his front talons, his mind was whirling. If Queen Scarlet herself was here capturing them, why in the name of Fathom and Clearsight had his gift led him to enact this plan in the first place? Queen Scarlet was the only dragon worse than Burn herself for the dragonets to be caught by!

"Now that's more like it. Three moons, it's gloomy in here." Queen Scarlet said, striding into and glancing around the central cave. As large as he was, even Clay could not obscure Queen Scarlet's view forever. As she took another step into the cave, she gave a slight start of surprise.

"My goodness," Queen Scarlet said, squinting. "You're a NightWing!" She batted Clay aside as though he weighed as much as a pebble and grabbed Starflight's chin. Wisely, Clay did not move. "A NightWing not ten years old. How thrilling!" Queen Scarlet continued, turning Starflight around and prodding his scales. Starflight thought the whole scene was rather creepy. "They don't normally let their dragonets out into the world. We might corrupt their superior perfection or something, you know." She breathed smoke into his face. Starflight coughed. "I've never had a NightWing in my arena before. Thrilling, thrilling! Tell me, what am I thinking right now?"

_Hmm… A MudWing, a SeaWing, a NightWing, and two others hidden under a mountain? Ooh, prophecy!_ Starflight was tempted to laugh or respond, but instead he adopted a look of pure terror.

"Too hard? I'll give you a hint. I'm thinking - now why would a NightWing, a SeaWing, and a MudWing be hiding out under my mountain? Along with whatever those two are that the MudWing is cutely trying to protect?" She flicked her tail at Glory and Sunny. Evidently, Glory had been too shocked to camouflage, and now it was too late. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain prophecy, would it?"

Suddenly, a blue blur shot from the depths of the cave, slamming into Queen Scarlet.

"Don't touch them! You'll never get your claws on them." Roared Webs. During the commotion, Starflight chanced a glance into the immediate future. Thankfully, his power seemed to be cooperating, as he saw that while there were some bad timelines, the dragonets would always survive the next few hours. It was likely that Webs and Dune would also survive. As for Kestrel, Starflight would need to be careful. There was an even chance that she would be killed sometime in the next few hours… Fortunately, the Sight wasn't Starflight's only ace. Opening his eyes again, Starflight was surprised. Webs was so kind to the dragonets that they had never thought of him as dangerous, yet here he was, holding off the SkyWing queen who had killed fourteen challengers, while dodging the occasional burst of flame from the guards.

"Stay back. Glory, you should hide." Clay muttered while the SkyWings were distracted.

"No. Our capture is a guarantee by now. If Glory escapes, we'll have a harder time later." Responded Starflight.

"Wait, I can help! Can't I?" Called Sunny, as Clay shoved her up onto a boulder. While Clay was thus occupied, Glory and Tsunami ran forward to help Webs, distracting the guards from their game of Burn the SeaWing. Starflight noted that they were holding up surprisingly well.

"Clay, you do remember who you're shoving, right? She can handle herself better than us. We should go help the others anyway."

Looking into the battle and doing a double take upon noticing Tsunami and Glory, Clay charged in to help. Starflight and Sunny followed.

"You won't have these dragonets for your twisted games! Their destiny is greater than that!" Webs shouted as Queen Scarlet lunged and missed.

"But what if it's **my** destiny to play with them?" She said, whipping her tail into Webs' side. "Oh, wait, that's right. I don't care about prophecies or any of that NightWing silliness." Scratching Webs dangerously close to his eye, she continued. "Besides, they made me awfully mad and then ran away. That happens to me far too often, but you know what? I always find the ones who betray me in the end."

Webs grimaced. "Ah, yes, I know all about that. But there's still a dragon you haven't caught yet. Isn't that right, Kestrel?"

The battle seemed to freeze. Clay and Tsunami stumbled, allowing the dragons they were fighting to pin them, Glory froze momentarily, being knocked over by her opponent, and with multiple opponents, Sunny had no choice but to stop fighting. Starflight, seeing the situation his friends were in, also stopped. In that time, Webs ran down the slope, away from Queen Scarlet, and jumped in the river, disappearing from view. Starflight had faith that he'd make it out alive. Webs had gills, after all. Kestrel sidled into the cave.

"Poor, poor Scarlet." She said bitingly. "Everyone betrays you. Well, I guess you've got me now. Let these worthless others go." She didn't even look down at the dragonets, but in her mind Starflight could detect worry.

_So she cares…_

Turning his awareness to Queen Scarlet's mind, Starflight was alarmed at the sheer violence of her thoughts. Chief among her desires at the moment was a desire to kill Kestrel. Unchecked, she would. So Starflight acted, whispering into her mind.

"_No… Why kill her here and now if I can make it a thrilling spectacle?_"

This seemed to be the right thing to project, as the queen's mind turned to planning said spectacle.

"Kestrel, that sounded like an order. Have you switched from disobeying orders to giving them now?"

"I won't fight." Kestrel said, her voice cold and hard. Even without the use of his powers, the frigid hate in Kestrel's voice was evident to Starflight. Just what happened between Kestrel and the queen? "I'll come with you. Just leave them. These dragonets have nothing to do with the SkyWIngs."

"You **will** come with me. Funny that you thought you had a choice. We've got a thrilling trial planned, followed by an even more thrilling execution. But as for these little dragons…" Scarlet said, sweeping her tail toward the dragonets. "You can't really expect me to give up prizes like this."

"They're no prizes." Kestrel snorted. "They're useless, every one of them."

"Plus I'm weird-looking!" Chimed in Sunny, restrained by two burly SkyWings.

"Oh, they're just the new blood my arena needs. It would be terribly sad to let them go. I would be too, too devastated. Take them all!"

The SkyWing soldiers brought chains forward and wrapped each of the dragonets in heavy iron. The weight of the chains made Starflight's wings and head droop as they were marched through the tunnel and out into the dawn. Starflight glanced around. Even bound, this was his first time outside the cave! Spotting a dark figure circling overhead, Starflight reached out with his powers. It was Morrowseer. Unsurprising. He would want to keep an eye on the dragonets for whatever agenda he made the prophecy for. While they were bound, Starflight held onto hope - there had to be a reason why he had seen the need to escape now.


	6. Captured

**Apollo: We're back, guys! *Crickets chirping* Sorry about the delay... Our free time recently took a dive, but it will recover in a couple weeks.**

**George: We do not own Wingsssssssssssss - Oh, is that a rat?**

**Martha: Of Fire, George. **

**Hermes: George? Martha? How did you escape the caduceus? And a better question, how are you typing with no hands?**

**Martha: Magic. Duh.**

**Artemis: As you may have noticed, we got cover art! It was made by Biohazardia over on DeviantArt as a commission for Vira815, both of whom let us use it. So thank you very much!**

**Apollo: As always, read, review if you like, we have a lot more info on our profile. Info about Animus, our interpretation of telepathy, and even a status update section every so often!**

**Hermes: Storytime!**

**Apollo (whispering): So unoriginal.**

* * *

Just then, Starflight heard a voice in his head. Were he any other dragon, he would have dismissed it as a sign of madness, but he was a telepath. The voice had been projected. It must be Sunny.

"_Starflight?_"

"_Yes Sunny?_"

"_What did you mean by fake?_"

"_The prophecy?_"

"_Yeah…_"

"_It was not prophesied. I saw some things in Morrowseer's mind. One of those was Morrowseer and another dragon, a dragon in a pit of lava, while Morrowseer was writing in a scroll. I recognized the wording. He and the other dragon were discussing probabilities and what to write. The other… Sunny, their voice!_"

"_What about it?_"

"_Creaky. Rough. Eerie. Like claws on… Ice, I guess, from a great distance. Here, see for yourself._"

Starflight brought up the memory of Morrowseer's memory and projected it to Sunny. After a few seconds, she responded.

"_So it's truly fake. Just… Manipulation. And to what end?_" At this, Sunny started sobbing quietly. Starflight tried to console her. "_If there is no predetermined fate, we -_"

Just then, Starflight's focus shattered as he received a vision of the future.

"On the contrary, I certainly **can** make my prophecy happen however I want, considering I'm the one who made it up in the first place."

"_Starflight? Starflight?_"

Sunny sounded worried. Starflight noted that she had stopped sobbing.

"_I-I'm fine. Just a bit shaken. Vision. Here._"

Starflight projected the sentence, delivered to him through the tangled branches of fate. Sunny's eyes widened.

"_Morrowseer… It's all true._"

At this, she started sobbing again.

"_Calm down, Sunny. As I was saying, if there is no prophecy, we are free to do whatever we want or need. We know that the prophecy is a fabrication. Outside of us five, only the guardians, Morrowseer, the lava dragon, and possibly other NightWings know. There is nothing preventing us from ending the war regardless, despite whatever agenda Morrowseer made up the prophecy for._"

Sunny looked thoughtful, from what Starflight could tell. They were chained up and being carried by the SkyWings by now, after all.

"_You're right… But who to choose? They're all terrible!_"

"_Yes, but they are the only three heirs._"

"_But Burn would just keep up the war for her twisted amusement, Blister would probably somehow take over all the tribes, and Blaze is roughly as smart as a concussed sheep!_"

"_I find it hard to believe that anyone's that dumb._"

"_Until proven otherwise, we have to work on that information! The only thing worse than one of those three on the SandWing throne is no queen!_"

Starflight thought for a second and remembered a name. He could not remember any details.

"_Sunny? What do you know of the Eye of Onyx?_"

"_The Eye of Onyx? Wasn't it that artifact that determined SandWing succession?_"

"_Yes, that's it exactly! I remember reading something, back in the cave… Something about those being worthy, and chosen by the Eye, shall be queen._"

"_So what you're saying is, if someone is worthy, the Eye can crown them regardless of heritage?_"

"_Yes. That brings up the issue of worthiness, though… And there was something about a disintegration curse._"

"_Sounds nasty. A last resort?_"

"_Probably. We should still see the situation before rushing to judgement… And it was lost twenty years ago anyway. Probably stolen by scavengers or one of the princesses._"

"_Still, a possibility. Maybe your gift will tell you where it is?_"

Chuckling, Starflight responded. Sunny had cheered up, seeing the possibility of ending the war.

"_We can only hope._"

* * *

The SkyWing prisoners were kept in the sky. Starflight was calm, at least outwardly. Even if Morrowseer had been manipulating events to an unknown agenda for years, he had a point about the mystery of NightWings. Furthermore, while Clay couldn't even open his eyes for fear and Sunny was still coming to terms with their lack of an established destiny, Starflight knew that there would be a way out, for those clever enough to devise it. Or lucky enough, but luck, under the right circumstances, is indistinguishable from skill. However, even for such a dragonet as Starflight, wise beyond his years and wickedly intelligent, even though the former was mostly due to the influence of his friends and the latter augmented by his considerable, if untrained, powers, retaining an appearance of calm was an exceptional feat. They had, after all, been captured by possibly the most insane reigning monarch of Pyrrhia. Starflight only kept his facade up through the knowledge that the lives of his friends may very well depend on his choices, and a facade it was indeed. He knew his role. As Clay was the heart of the Dragonets of Destiny, Glory the fire, Tsunami the claws, and Sunny the soul, Starflight was the mind. The calculating, scheming, sometimes manipulative dragon, but one with the collective good of those he cared for always at heart. Their roles were not immutable. Sunny was, whenever not in shock from some revelation or another, quite prone to joining Starflight in his role, while Tsunami and Glory were in some ways terrifyingly similar. Starflight shuddered. The main difference between the two was their determination. Tsunami is a hot-blooded fighter, quick to anger, quick to forgive. Glory? If you angered her enough, she would never forgive, and she would never, ever forget. Shaking himself from his introspection, Starflight cast out his senses. His mundane senses told him nothing that he didn't already know, and his Sight was not reliable even in the best of times. Starflight chuckled ruefully. It had led them into this mess, after all, and now it was up to him to navigate out of it, or hope the others could improvise well enough. He could tell little from the minds of those around him - wait. What was that above him? Starflight narrowed his focus. Above him, circling, fading in and out of focus, was a dragon. Starflight could not see them through the cloudy sky, but he could sense them. What was a dragon doing flying high above the SkyWing arena, and not even passing through? The dragon was re-entering his range at regular intervals, and so Starflight waited. The moment the dragon passed back into his range, Starflight threw his focus, honed over six years of knowing about his powers, into determining what was going on.

_**ders… Wh** w*re the* a***n… *atch Dr*go**ts of Destiny… ** Ni*ht*ing ****** ar*na… *xt**ct…_

With that, the dragon exited Starflight's range again. That was the most unclear thought he had ever picked up. Distance, perhaps? **ders… Orders, perhaps? Seemed to fit with the rest of the thought. The first segment of the impression had seemed… Incomplete. As though the rest of the fleeting thought had passed by already. The second part was more absent-minded. As though the dragon had been trying to recall something. *atch… Probably watch, unless this dragon didn't speak Dragon. Or thinking in code… Highly unlikely, but possible. The rest of that fragment needed no interpreting. The "of Destiny" at the end gave it away. An unidentifiable word… Short, but unintelligible at that range. Starflight only wished he knew exactly how far away this dragon was. He still wanted to know his exact maximum telepathic range. Ni*ht*ing… Almost certainly NightWing. An unidentifiable word, again. Then ar*na. Given their current location, probably arena. *xt**ct. Either extract or extinct. Probably extract, Starflight thought, suppressing a very uncharacteristic giggle. Three moons, the stress really was getting to him. So the thought likely went something along the lines of "-orders… Watch Dragonets of Destiny. ** NightWing ****** arena, extract." with a possible continuation. This dragon was probably a NightWing. That mystery tenuously solved, Starflight checked in on his friends. Tsunami and Clay were on the same level as him. On the pillars, then, chained as he was. Clay was still afraid, Tsunami… Tsunami was furious. Starflight was worried she might do something foolish. Glory was somewhere below him, as was Sunny. Somewhat close together, in the direction of the palace of Queen Scarlet. Starflight could sense them, but not very well. Too much mental noise from the surroundings, and distance, clouded his telepathy.

"_Starflight? Is that you?_"

Sunny. She must have felt his general sweep.

"_It's me. How are you doing? Do you know where Glory is?_"

"_Fine, they're treating me decently well. I don't know about Glory though, and I don't want to risk startling her if she's in company. You?_"

"_By the moons… Hadn't thought about that. Good thing you caught me first then. I'm chained up on a pillar, with Tsunami and Clay._"

"_What?_"

Starflight projected, with more force "_Are you having trouble with your telepathy?_"

"_Yes. You're not?_"

"_I am. I know my range has an edge, but I'm not sure where exactly. Far. We're high up, but I'm talking beyond the clouds. Your range seems to be a bit shorter…_"

"_I'm having trouble projecting to you. You may not have noticed, but I tried twice to contact you before you noticed._"

"_But no trouble receiving?_"

"_I'm getting your projection mostly clear. You were a bit quiet before, though…_"

"_I'm actually almost shouting, you just can't tell at this distance. I do seem to be getting a bit tired though…_"

"_Sleep, Starflight. We'll still be here in the morning. Now that you mention it, I'm tired too… D'you think it's the telepathy or the shock?_"

"_A bit of both, Sunny. As you said, we'll be here in the morning. Goodnight._"

Starflight could sense, on the edge of his perception, a fading echo from Sunny.

"_Goodnight…_"

* * *

Starflight looked up sharply in surprise. Something was wrong. What was it… Oh, yes. It wasn't his surprise. Quickly pinning down the source of the surprise, Starflight looked at Clay, almost on the other side of the circle of pillars. He was looking up. Following his gaze, Starflight saw a mostly copper-coloured SkyWing circling over Clay's pillar. On impulse, Starflight extended his mind and - FIRE. Starflight recoiled and approached the SkyWing's mind more cautiously. It was a mess. Fire flying this way and that, obscuring anything Starflight might see otherwise. Trying to read this dragon's mind was a waste of time. They seemed to be talking. Starflight considered eavesdropping on Clay's mind, but decided against it. He would simply ask Clay when the conversation was over. The SkyWing flew away.

"_Clay._"

Clay stood, looking around until he realized what was happening.

"_Starflight? That you?_"

"_Yes. What was that about?_"

"_What was what about?_"

"_That conversation you had with that copper-coloured SkyWing._"

"_Her name's Peril, she's the champion of Queen Scarlet, whenever a dragon wins too much in the arena she kills them, and she's probably more than a little insane. Seems nice though._"

"_She terrifies me, you know?_"

"_What? Why? You've never even met her._"

"_I can't read her._"

"_WHAT!_"

"_Nothing but firestorms in there. I try to approach too fast, I get burned, I approach cautiously, I still can't get anything from her mind._"

"_Weird… Wait, what does it feel like, getting mentally burned?_"

"_Much like getting physically burned, but the pain goes away quickly. Oh, before I forget, I sensed a dragon above us. Probably a NightWing. And Sunny's alright. Tsunami's chained up -_"

"_About halfway between us, Peril pointed her out. What about Glory?_"

"_Alive. Too much interference to find out anything more, and she's distant. In the direction of the palace, as is Sunny._"

"_Interference?_"

"_The dragons in the palace are too loud with their thoughts. It was hard to pinpoint Glory and Sunny._"

"_Seen anything?_"

"_No, and I don't like it. I've barely Seen anything since we got captured, and that was a short vision of Morrowseer. Not even any context. Keep an eye out for Glory and Sunny, alright Clay?_"

"_Sure thing, Starflight._"

* * *

Two of the guards let out a trumpeting roar, snapping Starflight to attention. The first thing he noticed was that the stands had filled during his attempt to See. Just then, Queen Scarlet herself stepped out onto a balcony. Extending his mind, Starflight scanned the area.

_Wait… Is that - yes. Yes it is._

Two of the guards rolled a structure into the light. It appeared to be a tree without leaves, carved of pale gray marble. The structure itself, however, was of no interest to Starflight compared to the dragon looped over the branches of the sculpture. It was Glory, and she seemed to be greatly impressing the SkyWings if the gasps and murmurs of the crowd were any indication. Of course, Glory's ability to change colours was nothing new to him, but even he had to admit that she was truly dazzling in the sunlight, red exploding into gold swirling into violet fading to a pale blue.

"_Quite the show, my friend._" Transmitted Starflight quietly. To Glory's credit, she was able to turn her start of surprise into a great continuation of her display, and the flash of yellow across her scales fit in perfectly with the rest of the colours.

"_I try. How are the others?_"

"_Sunny is inside, but alright. Clay and Tsunami are chained up here with me._" Showing Glory her location from his perspective, he was able to draw her attention to his position. "_Clay is nearly across from me, the only MudWing up here, and Tsunami is around halfway between us. Clay MAY have found us an ally. On the other hand, I can't read her… Her name's Peril. Queen's champion. Coppery._"

This time, the yellow was significantly more prominent, but no SkyWings noticed, as she was transitioning from red to gold.

"_YOU CAN'T READ HER MIND?_"

Wincing, Starflight replied "_Not so loud, please. Yes, it's a mess of fire and heat in there. I can't get ANYTHING, and it scares me. Do you have a plan to escape? That chain looks weak._"

"_It is, and I don't. You're the seer here, and Sunny is still separated from us. I might as well enjoy the sunlight until something happens, but when it does, I'll be ready._"

"_Good. I'll try to See something helpful, but you know how my power gets… Good luck._"

"_You too, Starflight._"

"Well?" Said Queen Scarlet in a smug voice that carried across the arena. "What do you think of my new art?"

A flash of fury from Clay. Irrelevant.

"On the heels of our little spectacle with the scavengers yesterday, we have a thrilling fight involving Our champion! Bring in the combatants!"

Starflight remembered that event. Clay had been too scared to open his eyes, but Starflight had seen twenty-four scavengers, twelve male and twelve female, be brought to the arena and given swords. It was a bloodbath. The audience loved it, even betting on the scavengers. It wasn't entirely barbaric though. The last scavenger standing was allowed to leave, with a small amount of treasure and her sword.

Peril had entered the arena. A commotion across from Starflight. The guards were retrieving a prisoner, the SandWing on Clay's right. So he was to be Peril's opponent. The guards flew him down and dropped him into the center of the arena. A guard spoke.

"After four wins, Horizon the SandWing - formerly, and unwisely, a soldier in Blaze's army - has been challenged to a match with the Queen's Champion, Peril. Claws up, fire ready!"

Queen Scarlet saw fit to interrupt.

"And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

The guard knew better than to give voice or even indication of his irritation, but Starflight knew.

"Fight!"

That said, the SkyWing guard left the arena, and the fight began.

* * *

Starflight watched the fight intently. Maybe he could see why Peril was unreadable to him by studying her mind during combat. Horizon seemed terrified, that was odd, he was much bigger and looked far more dangerous with his barbed tail and bulk. But it seemed that he wanted nothing more than to be as far away from Peril as possible. Peril stalked towards Horizon, her wings tilted to reflect the sun, her tail whipping across the sand, playing to the audience. Horizon leaped over her and scurried to the other side of the arena, not attacking, just running. Peril turned to him and smiled. Horizon twitched as he searched for a way out. His eyes landed on the tunnel and he made a break for it. Peril got there first. She struck out with her claws at his chest. Horizon screamed and tried to scramble away. Peril came after him, slashing him again on the side. Horizon screamed and tried to fly, but with his wings bound, it was futile. Through all this, Peril's mind hadn't changed in the slightest, as though this was just… routine. Boring. Horizon was panicking, his mind a storm of pain and fear. Peril reached out and brushed his wing with a talon. Horizon's mind seemed to explode in panic, the pain in his mind becoming so much that Starflight had to pull away from it, or risk screaming himself. In the arena, something odd was happening.

As Peril let go Starflight saw a black talon print on his wing, as if she had burned him. On a second glance, there was a suspicious lack of blood from Horizon's earlier wounds. It was almost as though they had been cauterized… But Peril couldn't possibly have done it, right? She would have to have fire in her claws! Wait… Fire. Like the fire that consumed her mind, shielding her thoughts from him. Could she…

Horizon lunged. Peril avoided the slash aimed at her eyes and twisted slightly. Horizon's tail struck Peril, but due to the angle simply skittered off with a spark rather than piercing her. Then, to Starflight's immense surprise, Horizon's tail caught fire.

Starflight could not glean anything from Peril's mind, but from her capabilities as a fighter Starflight could learn. She could burn with a touch. That was beyond a doubt now, and the ability was not limited to her talons, as Horizon's burning stinger could attest. Starflight had seen similar scorch marks before, he was sure of it, but he couldn't place where. An unexpected emotion caught Starflight's attention, from Horizon of all dragons. To his maelstrom of pain and fear a new emotion had entered - despair. He was resigned to his fate. He could not win. Peril lunged in to scratch Horizon again, but before she could dart away again, something profoundly strange happened. Starflight blinked. Still happening. Horizon had, instead of trying to gain distance away from Peril, had grabbed her forearms. He lunged at Peril. Was he trying to attack? No, it looked more like a hug. Peril froze. Starflight glanced into her mind. The firestorm was still there, but it wasn't moving. In the heat and the chaos, frozen in an instant, Starflight heard a single word.

_WHAT._

Horizon's wings began to disintegrate. As black marks marched up his scales from the point at which they touched Peril, he gave a violent shudder, let go of Peril, and fell to the ground. His facial features had been melted by the heat, and his talons had scorch marks in the center of their palms.

Kestrel. That's where he had seen such marks. Kestrel had nearly identical scars on her talons as well! That means that she had come into contact with Peril, or a dragon like her. Starflight thought the former to be more likely. After all, there were many SkyWings in the audience, pressed together, and yet Peril seemed to be the only one with fire in her scales and claws. In addition, Peril looked young, barely three years older than Starflight himself, if that. SkyWings were larger than NightWings, after all, so he may be wrong in his guess. Kestrel's burns were only on her talons, so she probably wasn't fighting whatever gave her those scars. And Queen Scarlet really hated Kestrel… Could Kestrel's betrayal have been trying to escape with Peril for some reason and getting burned, not knowing about the fire, then fleeing for her life? He would have to ask.


	7. Conversations

**Apollo: We're back! And with a monster of a chapter, at that. Not quite the 7k words I was anticipating, but over 5k. **

**Hermes: We need plot holes for ventilation! Please! **

**Artemis: Yes, we are going to patch them, because that is how you do good worldbuilding.**

**Apollo: To Pearl: Thanks for the review! No, you weren't misunderstanding - they are communicating telepathically. Flame could somewhat sense Moon and Darkstalker? I'd forgotten. **

**Artemis: I didn't! **

**Apollo: Anyway, Starflight and Sunny are speaking, so to speak, while I'm reasonably sure that Moon and Darkstalker were simply observing. And as for the 'group chat', I think of it like this. **

**Hermes: I still don't think broadcasting is canon, but it helps the story. **

**Apollo: Any more interruptions? No? ****Good. **

**Hermes: Interruption. **

**Apollo: *Kicks Hermes* **

**Hermes: Ow!**

**Apollo: ANYWAY, you know how a piece of metal braced against a surface vibrates when you hit it? I'm envisioning that Starflight and Sunny make a sort of mental construct, multiple times over, and use them to connect their minds and those of the other dragonets. When one of the five is broadcasting, the constructs vibrate, and that is translated into the minds of the other four as a foreign thought. Does that make sense? **

**Hermes: No. **

**Apollo: If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. We welcome your questions. To be honest, Pearl, the only thing we don't like about your review is that you don't have an account. We can't respond directly because of this. As much as Hermes likes the ventilation of plot holes, I don't. Artemis? **

**Artemis: No comment. **

**Hermes: I don't actually like plot holes, I just think the ventilation thing is funny!**

**Artemis: I'm just getting this out here - we don't own Wings of Fire. **

**Apollo: Nor do we own anything else you may recognize. On with the story!**

* * *

"Well, that was boring." Queen Scarlet was speaking, and looking rather disappointed. She raised her voice to address the remaining prisoners. "I hope some of you up there are braver than this pathetic creature."

Starflight was intrigued, and slightly nauseous. A dragon who could burn with a touch? He had never read of such a being, and yet there she stood in the arena. The queen was speaking again.

"Don't worry! We have a special treat tomorrow. Something we've never seen before! Hopefully this time someone will at least **try** to amuse me, unlike **some** dragons." Queen Scarlet was glaring at Horizon's body, and Peril as well. Knowing that trying to read Peril was a waste of time, he scanned Queen Scarlet's mind instead.

_The NightWing or the MudWing? And who to pit them against… If I send in Peril, they'll die too quickly, but I need something suitably thrilling… An IceWing. Yes, exotic, capable of fighting, and with an option at range. After all, if I send in a SeaWing, they could just stand back and burn it to death, and that wouldn't be any fun at all! And I sent in a SandWing today, so it wouldn't be thrilling enough to send in another so soon. _

"Dismissed." The queen turned and swept away. As the guards wheeled Glory back into the tunnels, Starflight merely watched and thought. He knew the odds of his survival against an IceWing were not the best. He had fire, some skill at claw-to-claw combat, and if needed, telepathy. Of the last he was unsure. He had never tried to use it to affect another beyond basic suggestions, and never in a combat situation. He would -

Clay was in the arena. He was standing beside the corpse of an IceWing whose face was half-melted. Guards descended and carried Clay up, rechaining him on his tower -

The vision ended. Starflight frowned. Something was off about that vision. Then it hit him. The IceWing. Why was his face melted, but the area around it not burned? Clay couldn't do anything like this, so that leaves outside interference. Starflight focused on the vision, trying to See anything more -

The same vision. This time, as Clay was carried up, Starflight's view shifted to the queen's balcony. Only three dragons occupied it. Peril looked terrified. Queen Scarlet looked pleased. And Glory merely looked asleep. The vision shifted. Now it was back to Clay, and he was talking with Peril.

"No, seriously. I think it was Queen Scarlet. She wanted me to win. She must have done something while everyone else was distracted."

"I've never seen her do anything like that before, but I guess she might. She definitely doesn't have a problem with cheating. I guess she might have found the poison in her treasury somewhere."

"Have you -"

Starflight snapped back to the present. Poison. But what poison could do such a thing as to melt off half of a dragon's face? And why did Glory look asleep? Clay was in the arena. Glory isn't the kind of dragon to sleep through one of her only friends being tossed into an arena for a fight to the death! However, Clay being sent into the arena seems adequate. Clay would survive.

* * *

The sun was setting. It was quite a beautiful sunset, Starflight thought, especially considering that it was only the third one he was in a position to see. A flash of surprise, not his own. Looking around, Starflight quickly saw what was happening. Peril was perched on Clay's pillar, seemingly trying to take up as little space as possible. Thinking quickly, Starflight transmitted a message to Clay.

"_If you don't mind, I'm going to read your mind for this. Not like there's another way for me to hear Peril._"

"_Sure, go ahead._"

Now permitted, Starflight delved deep into Clay's mind, deeper than he usually scanned. He and Sunny had found out early on that they generally only picked up thoughts, but by going deep into the targeted mind, sight, smell, sound, taste and touch were all theirs to experience. Useful if, for instance, just hypothetically, Clay was talking to a dragon whose mind was nearly unreadable. Definitely hypothetically. The only drawback was that while so deep in another's mind, Starflight would not be able to perceive anything from his own body.

"Oh, good, finally." That was Peril. Through Clay's eyes Starflight could see a burned lump of… Something. It was meat, anyway. It smelled a bit like smoky duck.

"I brought you something different. Well, I made the guard let me bring it. I hope you don't mind that it's a little crispy." At this, Peril spread her front talons in a somewhat hopeless gesture.

_Could this be duck? Delicious! Wait, Starflight, should I tell her about my fire resistance?_

"_If you trust her, I don't see why not. It's up to you, and I DO trust you._"

Misinterpreting Clay's pause, Peril continued.

"I'll be careful. I'll stay really still, I promise." She glanced around at the slumbering prisoners… and Starflight, though at that distance Starflight could see that he also looked asleep. "I just thought it might be less obvious if I sat here instead of flying around you."

_I think I'll wait a bit… She seems nice, but I've only known her for, what, less than a day! When I put it like that, why would I even consider telling her!_

"_Because she's the only nice SkyWing we've ever met, Kestrel included? And you're a very direct sort of dragon, and that's admirable! Secrets don't really come naturally to you like to me, or Sunny, or even Glory._"

_Wow. Looking at her right now, it's hard to believe that she killed that SandWing so easily… _

Clay ate the duck. Starflight shuddered. It tasted like ashes in Clay's mouth.

"Oh dear, that was fast. Do you want another one?"

"I'm all right."

Peril scraped a claw across the platform. "Do you want me to go away?"

"No." Starflight could feel… something from Peril. She looked surprised… could this be what surprise feels like, distorted by flames? "Stay and talk to me."

"Aren't you afraid of me now that you've seen what I can do?"

"A little, yeah. But you're still better company than the pigeons, at any rate." Peril laughed. She seemed subdued. "Are - are **you** all right?" Clay asked.

Peril blinked several times and dodged the question. Clearly, Starflight thought, she had not been taught subtlety, nor had a need to figure it out. "That was weird today, wasn't it?"

"What was weird?"

"The SandWing - Horizon - the way he just gave up. Why would he do that? It's poor form. I guess I should have pushed him away to make him keep fighting. Her Majesty was pretty angry."

"At you? That doesn't seem fair."

"_Way to go, Clay! You're a crazy dragon whisperer._"

_Shut up._

"Really? It doesn't?" She shook her head. "No, the queen is right. It's my responsibility to make the fight exciting if the other dragon won't do it."

"Why do you do what she says? Do you - do you like fighting?"

_Does she like killing, more like. What do you think? Dark past, or is she just like that naturally? _

"_Dark past, I think. We've heard just how insane Queen Scarlet is over the last couple days. What would she do to an unusual dragonet?_"

"Of course. I'm good at fighting - and not much else. She's my queen. I'm her champion. That's the way it's always been."

"Why you?"

_And the dark past has it. How you doing, able to read her mind yet?_

"_No, but I do know what surprise feels like with her. It's a start, at least._"

"No one else wants me. No one can even touch me. You saw that. I was born with too much fire. Usually when dragons like me hatch, the SkyWings drop them off the highest mountain peak. That's what my mother was going to do, but Queen Scarlet saved me and killed her to punish her."

"Wow."

_Starflight, is it just me, or is something fishy about that story? How would the SkyWings even get a dragon that they can't touch up to a peak?_

"_I don't know. And if I'm right, her mother isn't dead, either._"

_What._

"_Didn't those scorch marks on Horizon's talons look familiar?_"

_Oh. OH._

"Yeah. If you want to know everything, I burned up my twin in our egg. I sucked all the fire out of him and scorched him to a crisp." She shrugged, but her voice betrayed her. There was a distinct wobbliness to it.

"_Clay?_"

_Yes Starflight?_

"_She feels. She can feel sadness. Just how bad of a past did she have? I'm reasonably sure she doesn't quite understand morality… Queen Scarlet is one twisted dragon._"

"I attacked the other eggs in my nest when I hatched. At least, that's what the big dragons told me. They said I tried to kill my nestmates. I don't remember it."

"_I do, somewhat. I remember that when you grew more distant, you felt only despair. You felt no malice at any point. Had to have been instinct, for some reason. None of us were old enough to reason._"

_Wait… Starflight? Just how good is your memory?_

"_Very, but not perfect. I was self-aware, if only just, and I'm pretty sure that Sunny was as well. She felt brighter than you and Tsunami, for lack of a better term. I think that the 'brightness' corresponded to how developed your minds were. I know the guardians were bright._"

"So maybe we were both born to kill other dragons." Clay wished she didn't sound so happy about it.

"I don't really want to do that. I like fighting, but the only thing I've ever killed is prey."

_I think I might actually tell her. I just have this feeling, you know?_

"_I can't say I -_"

A desert. A crowd. Himself, and Clay, among others, standing at the front, before three dragons. One gave another a box. It was opened. Two snakes, biting the dragon who opened the box, and the survivor turned to him. Clay jumping in front, taking the snakebite in Starflight's place. Peril diving down, stabbing her talon into the snakebite. Clay survived. The other didn't.

_-ight? Starflight, are you alright?_

"_I'm fine, just had a vision. Peril was part of it. There were a couple of snakes, a crowd, a lot of SandWings, and us five. One of the snakes tried to bite me, you jumped in front, and by the look of it, Peril burns the poison out of your leg before it kills you like it did the other dragon who got bit._"

_Then if she can keep a secret…_

"Her Majesty said I might as well follow my true nature. That's how she raised me - letting me be myself, giving me dragons to kill. Maybe you'd feel better if you could be who you really are."

"What if that isn't your true nature, though?"

"Huh?"

"I don't think that's your true nature. Just sitting here, talking to you… You don't strike me as bloodthirsty, or vicious, or anything like that."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying… I don't even know what. But Peril?"

"Hm?"

"Can you keep a secret? Even from the queen herself, if needed?"

"_You're telling her?_"

_Almost certainly._

"Why?"

"How much do you know about MudWings?"

"Just fighting style, things like that."

"You don't have to be this way, Peril. You can have a life outside of combat, outside of serving the queen."

"I am her champion. That is my purpose!" At this, Peril raised her voice slightly, and the dragons closest to them stirred.

"A friend of mine - you see him, across from us? The NightWing? He always says that there is no purpose in life, other than what we make for ourselves. He's not often wrong."

"_Thank you._"

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you are a dragon, with free will. That you can choose to be something other than simply the queen's champion. That there can be more to you than that. That just because you were raised that way, that doesn't mean that you can't change. Now, can you keep a secret?"

"I - I guess…"

"Do you know how I and my friends were captured?"

"No… I only started talking to you because it's unusual to see a MudWing prisoner."

"The same can be said about NightWings, I think. But anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. We were captured just outside a cave, in the Claws of the Clouds. We'd been living in that cave our entire lives, just five dragons hatched on brightest night -"

"Wait, you're one of the prophecy dragonets?"

"Yes. That means I was hatched from a blood-red egg. We did some research at some point, and it turns out…" At this, Clay reached over and touched Peril with a talon. "That MudWings hatched from blood eggs are highly resistant to fire."

Peril gasped, recoiling, expecting Clay's talon to be burned. It was unmarked.

"To others, you may give off enough heat to hurt, even at this distance, but to me? To me, you're simply warm. Not very different from any other dragon. I'm sure that I'd burn if I stood next to you for a few hours, but like this, I'm fine."

"You know? Maybe you're on to something."

"Huh?" Clay was clearly shocked.

"_Not expecting to have a success this early?_"

_To be honest, no. I expected her to leave, and take a day or two to think._

"About the free will bit. I mean, Queen Scarlet didn't want me talking to you. She was really mad when she found out I visited you before."

"But you came to see me anyway?"

"Yeah, I don't know why. I mean, it didn't seem fair. I like talking to you. Her Majesty never has time to talk to me, and my only other friend is old and tells the same stories over and over again. You're blazing."

Peril was looking at Clay hopefully. "You're… blazing, too?"

Peril grinned. "That's what Her Majesty says. She likes me the way I am and nobody else ever has. Until you."

Clay opened his mouth to speak -

"_No. I already have a plan. And yes, it does end with you going into the arena. Remember your training._"

_Alright then…_

\- and very much did NOT say what he was originally planning to say, thank you very much. "What about that other friend of yours?"

"Osprey? We get along well, I guess… He can't fly, a scavenger paralyzed his tail, and I'm pretty much the only one willing to listen to his stories of the old days. He's always been nice to me, though."

"Then doesn't he also like you the way you are?"

"Huh. I guess you're right. Good night, Clay!"

That said, Peril leapt into the air and flew away, sending a gust of hot air, or to Clay, vaguely warm air, downwards.

"_Thanks for letting me listen in, Clay. You were right._"

_No problem Starflight. I hope this helps with whatever you're planning. Good night._

Starflight's awareness returned to his own body. Stretching out, he pondered what he had learned. Peril was thinking for herself. Good. Perhaps she will realize just how twisted Queen Scarlet really is, and turn against her. Come what may, there was little Starflight could do right now, so he lay back down, and went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, three SkyWing guards arrived to unchain Starflight. Wisely remaining silent, he scanned their minds briefly, gleaning that he was to participate in a private audience with the queen, and that these SkyWings were every bit as grumpy as Kestrel. Not resisting in the slightest, Starflight allowed himself to be marched down the smoky tunnel out of the arena. Risking a brief glance backwards, Starflight saw three blood-red guards flying towards Clay's pillar. At one point they passed a large cave with tall narrow windows cut into the walls, and a pool of water separating it from the tunnel. On one wall hung a full length portrait of Queen Scarlet, staring majestically down her nose. Starflight could see a few copper scales on the floor. Could this be Peril's room? Starflight could also see faint scratches, gouges worn into the stone. They looked recent. Almost as though a dragon had spent quite some time pacing… The rest of the cave was bare. Of course, if this was Peril's room, there couldn't be scrolls or animal skins. Her touch would incinerate them.

Soon Starflight heard clattering and clanking and chattering up ahead, as if a crowd of dragons were busily hurrying about. Then the passageway opened out into a vast hall and he saw that was exactly what he was hearing. A glint of gold off the floor caught his attention. Talon prints. A pattern of talon prints inlaid with gold. Looking around, Starflight saw more gold in the walls. A bit tacky, he thought, but an effective demonstration of wealth. He was standing on a wide balcony without a railing, the ground floor two levels below. The balcony formed a large square around the hall. To reach the open sky above, one would have to fly past five more levels of balconies and avoid the dragons hurrying about. Large windows were cut into the walls all the way up, and the floors blazed as though rivers of fire ran through them.

Starflight was led in the direction where the golden talon prints led. As they were leaving the hall, Starflight heard a noise from behind him. The clang of metal on metal, followed by an all too familiar roar. Kestrel was there. Reaching out with his powers Starflight sensed Kestrel in the area of the hall, and Clay at the balcony through which Starflight entered the hall. Good. He could ask Clay what happened. Reaching the end of the talon-print trail, the guards shoved him into a room. A column carved to resemble clouds. A wall, open to the sky, with a steep drop and jagged rocks below. A tracery of gold, reflecting sunlight every which way. If the gold before had been tacky, this was downright garish. Glory on her tree, guarded by two menacing SkyWings. And most alarming of all, Queen Scarlet, seated atop the column. Starflight hurriedly knelt. Clay entered the room, breaking away from his guards to crouch beside Starflight. He made to speak, but Starflight was quicker.

"_Remember your etiquette, Clay, I know we were taught it. Never speak before your host, it's rude. I'm fine._"

Clay knelt. He seemed rather awkward in the position, but he managed it. At some point, Starflight's guards had exited the room. Now it was simply them, the queen, Glory, and five guards. They waited. Finally, there was a commotion in the tunnel outside. Tsunami had arrived. Starflight sighed. Stubborn as always. Nothing he said would convince Tsunami to do anything other than what she had already determined to do. Rather annoying, when, for example, the NightWing with powers is sensing imminent possible doom tied to whatever she was planning. Just hypothetically. Starflight counted a dozen SkyWing guards, each larger than Clay, dragging Tsunami into the room. Impressive for a dragonet of only six years. A shame that, in this case, Tsunami's combat skill vastly outweighed her common sense.

"Hello there!" Queen Scarlet said.

"Queen Scarlet. Bold of you to do this. What do you want?" Tsunami said levelly. Of those present, only Starflight, Clay, and Glory knew Tsunami well enough to realize just how furious she was to go past 'screaming rage'.

"I want a lot of things, little SeaWing. More prisoners for entertainment, to rule the world, dessert… The list goes on. The second in particular is practically a requirement for queens nowadays. As I was saying, we've been waiting for you. I gather you're enjoying your stay?"

If Starflight didn't know better, he'd say that this was a move calculated to anger Tsunami even further. However, he did know better, and Queen Scarlet had known the dragonets for less than a week.

"This is an outrage!" Tsunami hissed. "How can you treat dragons this way? Especially us! We're the -"

"- dragonets of destiny, yes, how thrilling. I understand you've been underground for the last six years, so perhaps you haven't heard: not everyone **wants** the war to end." Queen Scarlet sounded almost… amused. "Personally, I think the war is quite entertaining. I pick up lots of contenders for the arena from the battlefield. And it's a terrific distraction for those dragons who might otherwise have challenged me for the throne. No one's even tried in about eight or nine years. Saves me a lot of trouble."

Predictably, Tsunami continued on. "So it's all right with you that hundreds of dragons have died all across the world."

The queen looked at her, almost pityingly. "As if you know anything about that. Have you ever been in a real battle? Have you ever seen hundreds of dragons die? Do you know anything, really, about this war?"

"We've studied it. We know it's awful. We know innocents are being hurt."

At this, Starflight remembered something he had read a couple years prior. Innocent dragons fleeing the war would set up communities away from the battlefields, such as Possibility on the SkyWing border, or the Scorpion Den in the desert. Of course, in both cases, the town had existed prior, but as small and insignificant settlements.

"Well, it's easy to say war is awful, but it's a lot harder to solve these problems **without** war. And remember, we're dragons. Fighting comes naturally to us, as you should know." Queen Scarlet flicked her tail forward, revealing an ugly red gash. Starflight winced.

"And who should be the next SandWing queen? Burn, Blister, or Blaze? I'd love to know if you've already decided that, from the wisdom and wide experience of your safe little underground cave."

"That's not our fault. We **wanted** to be out in the world."

"You wouldn't have lasted two years. Three, if I'm being generous. Did your minders ever tell you just what happened to the other dragonets hatched on the brightest night?"

Starflight looked into Queen Scarlet's mind. Eggs. Eggs being brought into a room, with Queen Scarlet and a copper dragonet. The eggs would be brought to the dragonet. And Peril, for it almost certainly couldn't be anyone else, would touch the eggs, and they would burn. Starflight knew he looked horrified, but he couldn't force the expression away. Fortunately, Queen Scarlet seemed to be fixating on Tsunami's surprise, and to a lesser extent, Clay's.

"Tsk, tsk. Well, I won't go into details, but it was very sad."

"Excuse me," Clay said. Starflight considered trying to stop him, but there were more important things to do.

"_Tsunami, get a grip. She doesn't care about the prophecy, or the lives of others. Your arguments are futile. I'm going to tell you what you're going to do. You __**will**_ _stay calm, or as calm as you can manage. Don't anger her while she's still on this topic. And if you don't… I'll show you exactly what Queen Scarlet did with the eggs. It's not pretty._"

"Oh, the funny-looking SandWing. I think Burn will like her very much. She's a collector, you see. You should see her palace. It's quite horrifying - full of two-headed lizards and seven-toed dragon talons and stuffed scavengers with the palest skin you ever saw." The queen shuddered. "That misshapen dragonet will fit right in."

Tsunami tensed, but remembered his threat.

"What about Glory? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing! She's quite perfect, if you ask me. A lovely accessory for my throne room."

"But why is she all - sleepy?" Clay asked.

"Hadn't you noticed that RainWings are naturally lazy creatures? But then, MudWings aren't known for their brains."

Glory's eye twitched minutely. Awake and annoyed, then.

"You have to let us go. You can't stop the prophecy and we'll -"

Tsunami evidently couldn't keep quiet any longer.

One of the soldiers prodded Tsunami with a long stick. Starflight noted with amusement that he was cautious even at that distance, with Tsunami chained in more chains than Clay and Starflight put together, and that the soldier had put Clay in between himself and Tsunami.

"Shush. Your spunkiness is starting to bore me. Now listen. In two days, we are having a big celebration for my hatching day. I want all three of you to be thrilling and fierce in the arena for me. But I also promised my subjects that today's fight would be exciting, so if I put one of you into it, it would be very thoughtful if you could win. So. Is the NightWing up to it? Which of you is most likely to win a battle to the death against, say, an IceWing?"

"Me." Clay and Tsunami said at the same time.

"Adorable, but seriously." The queen said, narrowing her eyes.

"_He IS bulkier. All the better to survive an IceWing, the SeaWing would try for a contest of power and lose. The MudWing seems to have enough tact to be somewhat subtle, which speaks well for his ability to outthink an opponent. And if he did get stuck in a contest of power, he's bulky enough to make for a thrilling fight anyway._"

Starflight detected some suspicion from Queen Scarlet, but she seemed to accept the thought.

"Me!" Clay said, after a couple seconds of staring down Tsunami. "I'm a great fighter. Put me in."

"You're delusional. I beat you all the time. I'm the strongest of all of us."

Of course, strength does not equal victory, and it was often Sunny who won any sparring match she fought in, even holding her own against Kestrel thanks to her precognition.

"Not **all** the time! And a MudWing would be more exciting than just another SeaWing, wouldn't it?"

The queen thought about this. "True…"

"Just another SeaWing! How dare you? You know I'm the best fighter!" Tsunami raged.

The queen clapped her wings together. Caught in the light, they almost looked like a raging fire. "I love your enthusiasm, dragonets. Guards, take these two away." She flicked her tail at Tsunami and Starflight. The guards approached, still cautious of Tsunami's teeth and claws. "As for this one… Prepare him for the arena."

* * *

"Are we there yet, Webs?"

"Dune. You are a grown dragon. A war veteran. You should not be so annoying as to make me almost mistake you for Tsunami!"

"Not like I can see, with these trees in the way. In case you forgot, I can't fly!"

"And none of that changes the fact that I told you five minutes ago, we're almost there."

Dune and Webs had been travelling quickly over land south from the cave, avoiding the Kingdom of Sand and a particularly troublesome set of mountains. As such, they were now approaching Jade Mountain from the North-East, on the edge of the Rainforest Kingdom.

"See? There it is, Dune. Now will you please stop asking me if we're there yet?"

"Fine."

The two continued on in silence, arriving at Jade Mountain. Unknown to them, had they trespassed any deeper into the rainforest, they would have been apprehended by a RainWing patrol, but they were fortunate in that regard. The patrol had noticed them, but saw that they were skirting the edge, and let them pass.

"So, you think the rumors of the dragon of Jade Mountain are real?"

"They're more than just rumors, Dune. I don't know anything about him other than this - he's real, male, and an ally of the Talons. He apparently lives in a cave in the mountain. In any case, we should find him. D'you think Starflight knew about him?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. He knows more than he has any right to."

The two Talons checked caves in the mountain. On the seventh, they found a statue of a dragon, carved of black stone. It was lying down.

"Why would anyone carve a statue and just… leave it here?" Mused Dune.

"They didn't."

The words were not spoken by Webs, but by the statue, in a voice rough from disuse. A slow and deliberate voice, that sounded almost like two boulders scraping together. It turned it's head and stared right at Dune. It, or rather, he, was not a statue as they had initially thought. He was a living dragon, his scales transmuted to stone in places.

"Hello there. I am Stonemover. May I ask what you are doing here?"

* * *

"You-you're alive!" Gasped Webs.

"Obviously. Why are you here?"

"We were told to come here as part of some plan, and may I say that I trust Starflight's plans a lot more since he predicted that danger would arrive." Replied Dune.

"Starflight?"

"We're with the Talons of Peace. Starflight's the NightWing dragonet of prophecy. He told us to get here when we got a chance. Are you the dragon of Jade Mountain?"

"I guess I am, seeing as… I don't know of any other dragons here. Of course…" Stonemover trailed off, gesturing to himself with a talon.

"How long have you even been here?" Asked Dune.

"About six years, give or take."

"How have you not starved?"

"I have my ways."

"So why are you partly stone? How are you partly stone?"

"I am… an Animus dragon. This is my curse… instead of affecting my soul… I twisted the magic. It will gradually… turn my scales to stone."

"Um… Why?"

"Sometimes I ask myself that… and then I remember what I stand to lose… if I snapped."

"Wait a minute, you look familiar."

"As do you."

"You're that NightWing that was always hanging around Thorn!"

At this point, Webs made his presence known again, having watched Dune practically interrogate the statuesque NightWing.

"You two know each other?"

Dune replied. "Yes, back before I defected to the Talons, I lived in the Scorpion Den. It's run by Thorn, I was one of her friends. She deserved a better friend than me…"

"What do you mean?"

"I never did tell you how I acquired Sunny's egg."

"You mean -"

"Yes. Anyway, Stonemover here was also a friend of Thorn's. Six or seven years ago, he vanished. Shortly after, I defected."

"Hm. Will you be ok here for a while, Dune?"

"I guess so, why?"

"I'm going to alert the Talons that the dragonets have been captured. They need to know."

"Why? You heard Starflight."

"He said Morrowseer can't be trusted, but there are good dragons in the Talons. Crocodile, Nautilus, Cirrus…"

Stonemover decided to speak up. "This Starflight is… right about Morrowseer. A loyal NightWing, to be sure, but… he's willing to do anything for the good of the tribe. ANYTHING."

"All the more reason to alert the trustworthy members of the Talons. If the dragonets get back before I do, tell them that I went to alert the Talons. It can't be too bad, or Starflight would have warned us against it, right?"

"I guess. Be safe, Webs."

"You too, Dune, Stonemover."

"Farewell."

Goodbyes made, Webs left the cave and flew north. The Talons of Peace awaited.

* * *

The dragons in the stands roared in anticipation. Starflight looked into the arena and saw the combatants. On one side of the arena, Clay, bulky, strong, and a little nervous. On the other, a hissing IceWing, visibly sweating. The SkyWing announcer strutted to the center of the arena and bellowed. "After last month's battle with Blaze's army, our queen's dungeons were stuffed with IceWing prisoners of war. Only nine have survived. After two wins, I give you - Fjord of the IceWings!"

Fjord's mind was a mass of rage and hate, nearly impenetrable to Starflight. The announcer continued as the audience went wild. "And in this corner, an unusual case - a MudWing, but not one of our allies. No, this dragonet was found hiding under our mountains, protected by the Talons of Peace. Is he one of the dragonets of destiny? Not if he loses this battle! If these prophesied dragonets are as wonderful and legendary as they're supposed to be, this should be a showdown to remember. I hope you're prepared to impress us, dragon of the mud. I present to you… Clay of the MudWings!"

In Clay's mind, Starflight found an unexpected calm, and a wry thought.

_We who are about to die salute you._

"Claws up, teeth ready! Fight!"


	8. Trial

**Apollo: Before we get to the rest, I, on behalf of team Qebui, would like to apologize. We only really got much writing done in the past week, and over half of what we have here was written in the last 3 days. It's been hectic, Artemis and Hermes taking some trips to Calgary, and we can assure you that this will be the last chapter in a streak of chapters each longer than the last. This one is nearly 8,000 words in content. **

**Artemis: Don't forget to tell them about the weird Royal We! **

**Apollo: Ah, yes. Our version of Queen Scarlet gets more formal as she gets more and more angry. If you've angered her enough for her to use the Royal We, you're probably screwed unless you can quickly change the subject. For those who don't know, the Royal We is basically when a royal refers to themselves in the plural, sort of speaking for the country and such. Now, onto answers. **

**Hermes: Dear ThePhantomDragon204 - First, we are the authors, we decide everything. Whether or not dragons go mad, etc. Please stop commenting on the fact that Starflight and Sunny aren't nuts yet. Interesting guesses in your prologue review, completely wrong. You know how Qibli believes he's a horrible person but he's really not? Think that for every dragon Sunny meets. The lack of telepathic training is an issue, but they're getting sort of acclimatized to other minds. If you had read chapter 1, you'd know how they figured out shielding. What, you think those techniques sprang into existence from the ether? Dragons developed those, and Sunny did so anew. The visions are highly inconsistent, and for Sunny, a nonissue. They wouldn't know that the prophecy was fake until one of two things happens - a vision detailing this or reading the mind of a dragon who knows. That's it for the prologue review, I guess. **

**Apollo: As for the chapter 3 review, because we said so. We know that Animus magic is genetic, do you know/remember who Sunny's father is? She's basically a modern-day Darkstalker, really, if you think about it. Half NightWing, thrice-moonborn, and Animus powers. And no, Clearsight was a natural with her powers, whereas Starflight tends more towards telepathy. Clearsight, for the first three years of her life, received NO training, whatever training she did receive was crappy, and she STILL managed to plot out every possibility years ahead, at minimum. Starflight is more like the Oracle of Delphi from Percy Jackson. Visions are usually prompted, and he can't really control it, only hope he gets lucky. As for the chapter 4 review, it is completely canon, how do you think Darkstalker first contacted Moon? There's no way she could pick a quiet whisper out of a screaming crowd. **

**Hermes: Not specifically stated! Darkstalker claimed to be lonely and couldn't converse with anyone! **

**Apollo: What dragon would listen to a voice in their head if they didn't already hear such voices every time they came near another dragon? **

**Hermes: Maybe Darkstalker could prove it by looking into the future and telling the dragon? **

**Apollo: Maybe so, but perhaps he didn't think of that. Either way, I'm answering a review, and in our story, telepaths can broadcast. This is a bit of a double-edged sword for a careless telepath. Please see Rule 0 on our profile, in the assumptions for the stories section.**** Anyway, he did, he can't, and not for certain. No, he shouldn't, because that would break the story. That's why we made his powers inconsistent. What's so special about Flame? He's a punk of a SkyWing with no special powers. If he can do it, why not anyone else? And if you'd read further, he DID tell the others that the prophecy was fake. Can't remember exactly where, but I do know Sunny has a bit of a sob over it after they're captured. **

**Artemis: For the chapter 5 review, and yes, he said that, as Hermes mentioned. This is our fanfiction, we can do what we feel to be good. For the chapter 6 review, WE know that. Does Sunny? The only two kingdoms on the whole continent that don't currently function as absolute monarchies are the Sand kingdom, currently in civil war with each faction running as an absolute monarchy, and the Rain kingdom, which functions as a bizzare mix between democracy and absolute monarchy. Also, no dragon outside the Rain kingdom knows that the Rain kingdom works that way. Constitutional monarchy? She's a dragonet, a teenager in a world that has never seen such a thing. She meant anarchy because she didn't know that any other state of existence for a kingdom without a monarch was possible. And no, not when she feels an overwhelming emotion, she was so shocked that she basically stopped, in every way, and even then Starflight could only read ONE surface thought. And as for the length of chapter 7... you ain't seen nothing yet! The abilities themselves are, for the most part, canon, but this is FANFICTION. It is by definition an AU, unless you do something like Fialleril's Double Agent Vader, which fills in the blanks without altering canon at all... for now. Did everyone miss Nautilus? He tried to kill Webs in canon! **

**Apollo: I hid some references in here. They can be from anything. There's a Doctor Strange reference, an accidental Tolkien reference, just try to find them! **

**Hermes: To clarify, I don't think broadcasting is canon, Apollo and Artemis do, and we all agree that they can in THIS story. **

**Apollo: Right now we have 4 stories planned. This one, a PJO fic called White Pine, and 2 Star Wars fics tentatively titled 'In the White Light' and 'Embrace the Dark'. I have modified the profile extensively, mostly in response to ThePhantomDragon204's reviews. Thank you, you have helped us expand and improve our AU, and we are grateful for that. In the future, if people want to give criticism, please make sure we didn't cover it in the profile first. If you have complaints about non-canon anything, see Rule 0. We value all input, and once again, we're sorry for taking a month to update. Now, on with the show. **

* * *

Clay and Fjord seemed to be talking. The audience was booing, so loudly that Starflight could hear it even from the pillars.

"Boooo! More blood! More death! Somebody bite somebody!"

_Savages._

Remembering something important, Starflight broadcast a thought to Clay.

"_Watch out for the freezing-death breath._"

Fjord breathed at Clay, who rolled out of the way, managing to avoid it all, having been ready for it. As Fjord opened his mouth to try again, Clay shot fire into his mouth. Starflight chuckled. No matter how barbaric, the sight of a dragon batting at his mouth after having fire shot into it was slightly funny. What wasn't funny, however, was how furious Fjord looked now. Clay seemed to be talking again, but Fjord rushed him with his talons outstretched. Clay dodged but was hit in the face with Fjord's tail. Knowing what Fjord would try next if he had any common sense, Clay kicked backwards, connecting with Fjord's neck. It seemed to cause Fjord much more pain than it reasonably should - looking closer, Starflight could see a scratch, longer than what Clay could inflict with a kick at that angle. Starflight could sense fear in Clay, and was about to encourage him when -

"BOOOOOOOOOO! A sheep could have won this fight by now! What are you doing? Thinking? Less thinking! More killing! Claw him, claw him, claw him!"

_Kestrel was actually civilized by SkyWing standards? Wow._

Fjord attacked again, but Clay rolled under him, doing something that Starflight couldn't see, and jumping back up to face Fjord. Fjord shrieked, doubling over.

"YAAAAYYYYYY!"

Fjord was shouting.

"What is wrong with you? That's not how MudWings fight! I was trained in your techniques!"

Clay visibly responded, but Starflight couldn't make out the words.

"All right, dragons. Fjord and Clay, we don't have all day. Some of us have kingdoms to run. One of you kill the other one right now, or I'm coming down there to end you both myself."

_Empty threat. Queen Scarlet wants Clay alive._

Fjord dashed at Clay again.

_Dodge!_

Clay grabbed Fjord's horns, shoving his head aside as he released more freezing breath.

_No…_

Clay was clearly trapped. Why then was his foresight telling him that Clay would survive today? Suddenly, he remembered. As Fjord pinned Clay, Starflight turned away, looking at the queen's balcony instead. Peril looked conflicted, focused intently on the fight. Queen Scarlet looked excited. A yell was heard from the circle, as well as cursing. Tsunami had jumped off her pillar, unbalancing the prisoners around her. As the guards flew up to put her back on her pillar from where she had thrown herself, and the audience refocused on the fight, Glory unhinged her jaw, and a jet of small black droplets flew out of her mouth towards the fight.

_What._

Clay and Starflight were the only ones looking at Fjord as the jet struck his face and neck, as Glory quickly feigned sleep. Fjord flinched, reaching up with a talon to wipe off the droplets. And as Starflight watched, Fjord's scales began to melt, as the droplets bubbled and smoked. Then Fjord screamed. The screaming was similar to Horizon's, Starflight supposed. A drop had landed in Fjord's eye, and it disintegrated, leaving a smoking black cavity in his skull. Fjord's mind was a seething maelstrom of pain, fear, confusion, and surprise. Mostly the first two. Fjord's face began to melt as he lurched off Clay, clawing at his neck. After that, Fjord's death only lasted a minute more. Clay was standing next to Fjord's body, face half-melted, as guards flew down to bring him to his pillar. Peril looked terrified. Queen Scarlet looked pleased. And Glory? As in the vision, she simply looked asleep.

* * *

Starflight awoke after dark. Looking around, he saw two things that immediately caught his attention. Tsunami had been chained even more securely than before, and Peril was on Clay's pillar. They seemed to be talking, but he couldn't make out the words over the wind. Peril flew away.

"_Hey, Clay, what just happened?_"

_Peril stopped by for a chat. We talked. Do you know where that poison came from?_

"_You mean the little black droplets that melted Fjord's face off?_"

_Yes._

"_You should probably keep this quiet for now, but that was Glory's work. She took the opportunity to do something while everyone was distracted, but I'm not quite sure how. There was nothing on RainWings having venom back in the cave._"

_Glory? You're sure?_

"_Deadly sure._"

_Huh. I thought it was Queen Scarlet._

"_So that was what I heard in the vision…_"

_Vision? _

"_The visions that convinced me to let you go into the arena. One was an image of you standing over Fjord's body, the other was a conversation between you and Peril. Peril expressed some doubt, but acknowledged that Queen Scarlet would definitely do something like that._"

_Sounds like the conversation I just had._

"_Anything else?_"

_Peril's not allowed into the arena tomorrow and wants to hide behind me to get around that. Something about a trial… Oh, and Sunny's fine. Eating like a queen, making friends with the guards… But you already talked to her._

"_You ARE the fireproof one. Look, she's coming back!_"

Indeed she was, and carrying a large rock cauldron. Peril and Clay resumed talking, and Peril stuck a claw into the cauldron. Clay said something that caused Peril to almost hit him with her tail. She said something, looking contrite, and began plastering the contents of the cauldron on Clay. Clay seemed to relax. Peril flew away.

"_What did she say now?_"

Clay looked a bit startled. _A little warning first, Starflight?_

"_Sorry. What did she say now?_"

_She thinks her mother's dead, I think Kestrel's her mother judging by the scorch marks -_

"_Ah, so you noticed them too._"

_AS I WAS SAYING - thinking, whatever - she thinks that she needs to eat black rocks every day to survive, but I think something's wrong with the whole story, and she'll be here on and off all night. _

"_Speaking of Kestrel, it's probably her trial. Thanks, Clay._"

Starflight was left to ponder the new information as Peril flew back and forth from Clay's pillar. The more he thought, the more certain he became that Kestrel was Peril's mother. It made sense. The scorch marks on Kestrel's talons, Queen Scarlet's hatred of her, Peril being banned from the trial… It all fit. And finally, dawn came.

* * *

Dragons were filing into the arena, quieter and more subdued than they were for the fights. Soldiers dragged two large boulders into the arena, one of them twisting three iron rings into the ground and attaching thick chains to them. Looking across the circle, Starflight could see Clay spreading his wings to hide Peril. Queen Scarlet slithered onto her balcony, but Glory was absent. Finally, Kestrel was hauled into the ring, hissing and spitting all the while, but prevented from breathing fire by a chain looped around her snout, and seemingly cocooned in more chains to prevent her from lashing out otherwise. Starflight chuckled. It seemed that the SkyWings had learned from their mistake with Tsunami. On the other claw, it was Kestrel down there. Starflight winced. Had his sight failed him? The announcer climbed onto one of the boulders, and a paler SkyWing climbed onto the other, dragging his tail behind him like a carcass. Was this Osprey? Hissing, Starflight remembered that Peril had tried to talk to him on the first night, but he had ignored her, squandering the chance to take her measure first-hand. No matter. She seemed honest when talking to Clay, though it was harder to tell without the help of reliable telepathy. Queen Scarlet beat her wings, drawing the attention of every dragon in the arena.

"Loyal subjects. This dragon, Kestrel, once of the SkyWings, stands accused of the highest treason - disobeying **me**. Vermilion speaks for the prosecution."

"Your Majesty," Vermilion - the announcer - said, bowing and crossing his talons. "The facts are clear. You gave an order. Kestrel disobeyed you and fled the kingdom. She has been living under your mountains for the last seven years, aiding and abetting the Talons of Peace, who also refuse to follow Your Majesty's orders. She deserves a long, painful execution. There is no need to drag this trial out."

Kestrel glared at the queen.

"Well said. Now Osprey may speak for the defence. Or not, if he'd prefer to sleep through this trial, too."

So that WAS Osprey. The crowd laughed as Osprey stretched his neck toward the queen, then toward Kestrel, as if trying to get close enough to see their faces from his boulder.

"Your Majesty," he said in a voice creaky with age but still loud enough to carry to the prisoners. "I do have one or two words to say in this prisoner's defence."

Queen Scarlet stared down at Osprey, her tail lashing slowly behind her. "Certainly. That's what you're here to do. Go ahead."

Osprey cleared his throat, coughing out a puff of smoke. He had the attention of the SkyWings.

"Consider first the charge of disobedience. Kestrel did not do as you ordered - but then, did you not reverse the order after she was gone?"

"Osprey," Queen Scarlet hissed. "Speak plainly, or speak not. And let me point out that one of those options would be much smarter than the other."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I must speak. Kestrel was one of your most loyal soldiers. She was sent through the breeding program, on your orders, and brought forth one egg. Upon hatching, it turned out to hold twin dragonets."

Glancing over at Peril, her shock was visible even at a distance. It was good that she was hidden from the dragons below.

"We know all this. Skip ahead to the part where we execute her."

"The dragonets were defective. One had too much fire, the other not enough. As per SkyWing custom, you ordered Kestrel to kill them both and stay out the breeding program forevermore."

The queen rose to her full height and spread her wings so the sunlight caught on the rubies embedded around the edges. "Quite reasonable," she said.

"But Kestrel tried to escape, taking her dragonets from the hatching cave and trying to flee down the mountain with them."

"So you agree she disobeyed me," said Queen Scarlet. "Then I think we're done here."

"You caught her at the Diamond Spray River, and there you issued a new order. You told her you would forgive her disobedience on one condition. She must choose one of the dragonets to die, and then you would spare the other's life, and Kestrel's own. Then she did obey you, didn't she? She killed the dragonet with too little fire, right there at the river. With her own claws."

"And then I changed my mind again. I am the queen, I can do that."

"You told your guards - I know, for I was among them - to kill the other dragonet and take Kestrel back for trial. She tried to grab her daughter and fly away, but the heat of the dragonet's scales burned her talons before she was a wing-beat into the sky, and she was forced to drop her. She fled, leaving her living dragonet at your mercy."

There was a heartbeat of silence.

"Well, sounds guilty to me. We'll execute her tomorrow. And while we're at it, let's execute him too, for boring me." She pointed at Osprey.

"NO!"

Peril could not contain herself, exploding past Clay as she shot towards the sands. There was a faint reddish glow from Clay's pillar - she had burned through a wire on her way out.

"It can't be true!" Peril cried, landing beside Osprey. "Tell me it isn't!"

Kestrel reared up, her roar muffled by the chain. Judging by the look on her face, Kestrel had thought that Peril had been dead since the day she fled.

"Oh, yes," Queen Scarlet said maliciously to Kestrel. "Didn't I mention she's still alive? And working for me?" She turned her fierce yellow eyes on Peril. "You're not supposed to be here."

"You lied to me! You said she was dead!" Peril shrieked.

Queen Scarlet sighed, and glared at Osprey. "Look at the trouble you've caused. Peril, dear. Would you have wanted to know your mother was alive somewhere, raising other dragonets and wishing she'd killed you instead of your brother?"

Peril stood resolute.

"She could have escaped with your brother," the queen pointed out. "You're the one who burned her when she tried to flee with you. She thought she chose wrong. That's why she never came back for you."

A lie. The queen had no way of knowing, and besides, those words were calculated to turn Peril against Kestrel. Kestrel roared, unintelligible through the chains.

"Haven't I kept you alive all these years? Finding you the black rocks, feeding you, making you my champion? Don't you appreciate all the things I've done for you? Aren't I a better mother than her anyway?"

For some reason, one of the images on the surface of the queen's mind, alongside the arena and black rocks, was poison.

"I want to stand for her," Peril said confidently.

This seemed to surprise Queen Scarlet. "What?" she said slowly.

"I call upon the Champion's Shield. The queen's champion may stand forth for any dragon sentenced to execution. If I can defeat the next dragon you set me to fight, you must let her go free." She looked into Kestrel's eyes for the first time. "I will stand for my mother."

* * *

"Now where," hissed Queen Scarlet, her eyes small slits between orange scales, "did you hear about **that** particular law?"

Peril suddenly looked nervous. "I… read about it."

Starflight noted that Peril was a terrible liar.

"I bet you did, with claws that burn through paper with a single touch. Someone's been telling you things too big for little dragon ears."

"No!" Peril said too quickly. An abysmal liar indeed, which boded well for her intentions when talking to Clay. "Nobody -"

The queen was airborne before Peril could even continue her desperate lie. She snatched Osprey up in her talons and shot into the sky.

"Stop! It's not his fault!" Peril yelled, chasing them.

The queen spiralled up, Osprey writhing in her claws, his tail hanging heavily below him. And when Queen Scarlet reached the height of the wire net, she released the hapless SkyWing, who dropped like a stone.

Peril darted at him, talons outstretched, but she stopped, realizing that if she caught Osprey, he would merely die of the burns, far slower than of the fall. Osprey tried to right himself, but it was too late. As he hit the ground at an awkward angle, every dragon in the arena could hear the ripping and snapping of bones and wings as he tumbled. Peril landed beside him.

Queen Scarlet fluttered delicately back onto her balcony perch. "I hope this has been a lesson to any other dragons who were thinking of teaching my champion bad habits," she said, glaring around the arena.

"He's not dead," Peril said, clawing at the sand.

"But he is dying." Queen Scarlet waved a dismissive claw. "Now. I won't argue with the Champion's Shield. The champion has asked to stand for the prisoner. I will choose her opponent, and the will battle at the end of the games tomorrow. If she wins, Kestrel goes free. If not, well, I'll have a dead champion, but at least we'll get to execute Kestrel right afterward. All in all, a thrillingly bloody day for me and Queen Burn to look forward to."

_Princess,_ Starflight snarked internally. But onto more serious matters, Burn was coming, and when she left, she'd take Sunny with her.

"All right. Tomorrow, then." She reached for Osprey's talons and stopped, her claws hovering over the dying dragon's, close but not touching.

"Of course we'll have to lock Kestrel back up," said Queen Scarlet. "We wouldn't want her to try escaping again. You understand."

"Fine." Peril turned and looked at Kestrel as Vermilion dismissed the crowd. When most of the crowd was gone, Kestrel pointed to the chains around her mouth. She wanted to talk to Peril.

"No," Peril said as a guard stepped forward. She stared into Kestrel's eyes. "You killed my brother. You **left** me here. And because of you, my friend is dead. I don't want you dead, but I don't want to know you." Following this, she whispered something that Starflight couldn't hear, leaning in so close that Kestrel was visibly wincing from the heat. Then she turned and left the arena. The guards dragged Kestrel away under Queen Scarlet's triumphant smile. As they left, Starflight looked into Kestrel's mind and found the whisper.

_Besides, if I remove the chain, you'll be burned, possibly badly. You're already wincing._

Peril cared enough to note that. Perhaps there was hope for an escape involving Peril after all. After a guard dropped a pig off at midday, Starflight decided to try something. Peril's mere touch for a moment burned through a wire. Could he break his wires? Carefully, making certain that there were no guards around, Starflight focused. He had done something like this before, heating Tsunami's chains with Sunny so that she could break free. He breathed fire at the wire, careful not to burn himself, and saw it glow a dull red. What to do? Clay's broken wire was already at risk of discovery. Should he double that risk? No. Instead, he bent the glowing section of the wire, eliciting a grumble from the dragon next to him as he pulled on another wire in the process, managing to twist the metal slightly before it cooled. He heated it again and bent it further. Then he twisted his talon awkwardly and bent the wire mostly back into shape. It seemed a bit less flexible now. On and off he heated the wire until it seemed that he could break it if he really tried. By then it was getting dark, and heavy wingbeats in the distance distracted him from beginning the process again with another wire. A score of SandWings appeared from the west, outlined by the glow of the setting sun. The largest was in the lead, the others in a V formation behind her. They swooped toward the queen's palace, staying in perfect lines, and vanished to where Starflight guessed the visitor's landing field was.

Burn had arrived.

* * *

Burn. Oldest and strongest amongst the contenders for the SandWing throne, vicious and bloodthirsty beyond compare. The stories of her brutality on and off the battlefield rivaled even what Starflight had seen happen to Horizon, to Osprey, and to Fjord. Though unpopular with her own tribe, she had the alliance of the SkyWings and MudWings, and, if the information Starflight had from the cave was trustworthy, not very bright. Not to the extent of Blaze's sheer idiocy, but nowhere near Blister's dizzying intellect. The dragonets had been raised on warnings about the warring princesses, and what they knew was thus - Burn was cruel beyond compare, worse even than Queen Scarlet, and they knew exactly what she did to the SkyWing egg and it's courier before they could reach the cave. Blister was clever, and always had a plan. And Blaze, while certainly of incredibly low intelligence and combative skill, could convince you to do almost anything. Each of these three keeping each other in a delicate balance that had been mostly stable for twenty years of war. Burn was quite possibly the worst dragon to get her claws on the dragonets, for while Blister was so manipulative and clever as to suggest that the princesses drag the entire continent into their war, Burn was simply so pointlessly cruel that she might do something irreversible just for fun, or worse, to keep the war going indefinitely.

It seemed only a few moments later when Burn came back over the wall and flew toward the prisoners above the arena. She was staring directly at Clay, and his terror was palpable even without trying. She inspected him for a few moments, then moved on to Tsunami, and finally to Starflight. Starflight was, admittedly, afraid, but kept his fear in check with the knowledge that Queen Scarlet would be unhappy if Burn did something rash to the dragonets, and that Burn would likely not want to risk antagonizing one of her allies without whom she would likely have been overrun by Blaze and Blister. Instead, he took the opportunity to skim the surface of her mind and felt only a dark amusement and anticipation, mixed with glee. She finished inspecting Starflight and returned to the palace. Starflight sighed in relief. Now, how to escape before Burn killed, stuffed, and mounted Sunny on a wall?

* * *

An eerie note rang out across the arena. It was followed by more, some higher pitched, some lower. The notes continued echoing across the arena, from sundown to full dark. Starflight looked curiously across the arena. Clay seemed to be making the notes, somehow. Then suddenly, he stopped. Had he not been a NightWing, he would not have been able to see across the circle with any detail by now, but he could manage. The notes began again, seemingly with purpose. Starflight thought for a second, then realized what Clay was doing.

**Oh, the dragonets are coming…. **  
Clay paused, seeming to think for a moment, then continued on.

**They're coming to save the day…. **

It sounded like the ghosts of prisoners past, whispering on the winds, holding out a mere sliver of hope. Hope that things would be better, someday, that the war would end and that they could go home.

**They're coming to fight… for they know what's right…. The dragonets… **

There was no "hooray!'. Starflight could hear a voice to his right, singing in response. Then another, and another, until there were six voices, leaving off the last hooray, just as Clay had. Clay began again, and more dragons joined in. On the third repetition, even Starflight joined, and by the fourth he was sure that he could hear Tsunami's croaky voice singing with the rest. Hope, gone for the prisoners doomed to die, seemed to have returned. This was the power of a belief, in a higher fate that ordained that everything would turn out fine. This was the power of a prophecy, even a false one, for dragons **believed** in it. It had the power to inspire them, to embolden them. On the sixth repetition, everyone singing wholeheartedly, a blast of fire shot through the arena doors as Queen Scarlet and Princess Burn stormed in.

"Stop that infernal noise right now!" Burn roared.

The singing stopped immediately. Was that a pout on the face of the dragon next to him?

"You," Queen Scarlet growled, pointing at Tsunami. "And you." She pointed at Starflight. "And - probably not you, but get down here anyway." She snarled at Clay, and as SkyWing guards spilled out of the tunnel and unchained Starflight, he didn't resist. What was the point, now? There were always more guards, and he wasn't leaving without the others.

* * *

They stopped at Peril's cave. Peril was resting her head on a narrow window ledge, staring at the sky. As they entered, she turned and gave Queen Scarlet a cold look. Starflight noticed that where once was a portrait of the queen, there was what looked like a large pile of ash. The queen was not amused.

"Out." she said to Peril.

"This is my room!"

"And I am the queen here, so do as I say. Go sleep in the arena. Anyone else tries to sing, burn out their tongue."

A moment passed, then Peril stormed out. The two royals had to scurry out of the way to avoid burns, in a rather undignified manner. Starflight hid a smile and could see several SkyWing guards doing the same.

"In here," Queen Scarlet said, shoving Starflight into the cave. He stumbled over the pool of water, but didn't fall in. Tsunami and Clay followed.

"You will not interrupt my feast again. I'm sure you're very amused with yourselves -"

"Why don't you just kill them?" Burn interrupted. She was much larger than the queen, claws and teeth stained red, a vicious scar burned into her left side.

"Because that wouldn't be any fun, of course! I want to see them fight. We have a whole day of entertainment planned for tomorrow. It's my hatching day! I want it to be thrilling."

Burn glared at the guards. Fortunately for them, they knew how to take a hint, and shuffled up the tunnel out of earshot. She lowered her voice so that only Queen Scarlet and the dragonets could hear.

"But if they **are** the dragonets of the prophecy, then the best way to break the prophecy is to kill them."

"Perhaps." The queen said, regarding Starflight. She was transparent in her desire to see a NightWing in combat. "But that didn't work out so well for you, did it? Everyone knows what happened to the SkyWing eggs…"

Ah, yes, Burn destroyed the one the Talons took, and Queen Scarlet dealt with the rest, using Peril as her murder weapon.

Burn thumped her tail hard enough to send tremors through the ground. "On the contrary, that worked perfectly. Only four dragonets - the prophecy is already incomplete. After all, we got rid of their 'Wings of Sky'."

Now THAT was interesting. Queen Scarlet didn't tell Burn that Glory was one of them? Well, Starflight certainly wasn't going to correct that little mistake.

"And yet our ignorant subjects are always yowling about the dragonets who are going to save the world. They believe in it, no matter what they've heard about broken eggs. If we kill them now, out of sight, they won't believe it's them. Even if we hang the bodies from the palace walls, our subjects will believe we killed some random dragonets, not the **dragonets of destiny**. If they die publicly, in front of everyone who's anyone -"

"The world doesn't need a prophecy. It needs me as queen of the SandWings." Burn snarled.

"You really must stop interrupting, Burn, I was getting to that. Everyone can watch them die. They'll see how weak they really are. They'll lose their faith in the dragonets, and more importantly, the prophecy. It'll all be over, and much more powerfully than if we made them… disappear. Don't you agree?"

"And if they win?"

"They won't, but we can always kill them ourselves if it comes to that."

"Excuse me," Tsunami interrupted. "You know we're right over here, right? Don't you want to hatch your evil plans somewhere more secretive?"

The two royals glared at her. She glared back, almost… regally? Either way, she stood unbowed. The queen opened a pouch slung under her wing and scattered several round black rocks across the cave mouth, on the tunnel side of the pool. She breathed on them, and the rocks burst into flame. Suddenly, the dragonets were 'trapped' by a wall of fire.

"Sleep well, so you'll be thrilling in the arena. I thought I'd get to play with you for longer, but I guess you all have to be dead by sunset tomorrow." She sighed. "Nobody lets me have any fun." The queen left. Clay turned to look at Starflight just as Tsunami cannoned into him.

"Ow!" Clay yelped, but he didn't fight Tsunami off as she twined her tail with his and wrapped her wings around him.

"I'm so glad you're alive, you incredibly huge idiot."

"So am I, but I'm more glad you two are alive." He drew Starflight into their hug, the smaller dragon resting his head on Clay's shoulder.

"We need to get out of here." Clay said.

"First, we're cleaning you up. Into the water. Go!" Tsunami ordered.

"That's not important, I feel -"

Tsunami pushed him into the pool.

"See? Much better." Tsunami leaned over and started cleaning the dirt and blood off of Clay's scales.

"Nice move with the song, Clay. You managed to prove exactly how we're going to end the war."

"Through singing and cooperation?"

"Through belief in a prophecy that most dragons don't know is false."

Tsunami broke in. "Whoa, wait up. YOU did that?" She asked Clay.

"Yeah, with this." Clay slid a segment of wire about as long as his tail across the floor.

"How did you break that?" Tsunami asked, awed. Clay seemed to like this.

"I had help. The dragon who was just here - Peril. Her touch can burn through it. She did **that** by accident."

"That dragon is psychotic. Didn't you see her decimate that SandWing? And she's Kestrel's daughter, which kind of makes sense."

"And what exactly does being Kestrel's daughter have to do with her sanity? But no wonder Kestrel always hated us. All this time, we were reminding her of what she lost, day after day."

"She's not completely crazy. She's kind of nice when not in the arena, and she brought me mud for my back. Oh, and she said she found Sunny."

This caught Starflight's attention. "Where? I know the general direction, and I can guess at the distance, but did she tell you where exactly?"

"She didn't tell me exactly where, only what I told you. You didn't realize that in order to know how Sunny's doing, Peril probably had to find her first?"

"I didn't make that connection."

"But I don't know if Peril will help us. I haven't talked to her since the trial. I'm afraid she's mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you." Peril stuck her head through the wall of fire. Tsunami jumped back, hissing in alarm. Starflight backed away from the heat a little.

"Oh, good. Wait, how much did you overhear?" Clay said to Peril. "Where have you been?"

"I didn't want to put you in danger, and I heard most of it. Arrived just in time to hear someone being pushed into my pool. May I come in?"

"Of course, it's weird talking to someone on fire."

He ducked underwater, and Peril hopped into the cave. Tsunami and Starflight backed up even further, one out of fear and the other out of discomfort. Clay climbed out of the pool and spread his wings so that Peril's heat could dry them. She coiled her tail close to her and dipped her head at him, ignoring the other two.

"I was afraid the queen would hurt you like she hurt Osprey," Peril said miserably. "I shouldn't even be talking to you. If she finds out I like you, she'll do something awful to you just to punish me."

Tsunami looked sharply at Clay. Starflight looked sharply at Tsunami. A bird landed on the window and looked sharply at Starflight, then flew away.

"Can you help us escape?" Clay asked hopefully.

"I wish," she said. "That would make her madder than anything. But I can't get you through that fire." She flicked her tail at the wall of flames.

"Could you use the water to put it out?" Tsunami chipped in. Peril turned to regard her.

"No - the rocks have to burn down to embers. They can't be put out any other way."

"What about Sunny? Can you do anything to free her? We have to rescue her before Burn takes her away."

Peril's eyes narrowed, the flaming blue in contrast with her copper scales. Rather striking, if Starflight said so himself. He wished he had some ink to draw the scene.

"You talk about this Sunny a lot. Is she really that important?"

"Yes!" all three dragonets answered at once. Peril's tail twitched and she looked displeased, so Starflight clarified. "We grew up together under a mountain. For six years. She's kinda like a little sister to all of us."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Tsunami grumbled. "Think about your brother," Tsunami continued. "Wouldn't you have saved him if you could?"

Peril's expression shifted, and she nodded. "A sister. Yes, I understand. All right, I'll help."

"Where is she?" Starflight asked.

"She's in a kind of birdcage, hung over the feasting hall. Everyone will be celebrating all night long, but they'll be watching the arena tomorrow. I can sneak in and get her."

"Oh, thank you!" Clay twined his tail around Peril's. Tsunami looked alarmed for a second, and Starflight nudged her.

"_Blood egg, remember?_"

Tsunami looked significantly more relaxed. "What about Clay and Starlfight? I can survive the arena, but they can't."

"Um, I can survive the arena, too. Hello, I already have. I dunno about Starflight though…"

"And how did you do that, exactly? I happen to know you don't have secret venom in your claws." Tsunami asked.

"Glory did it. Oh, and you're all missing something important as to how to get through the fire." Starflight remarked.

"What?" Chorused the other three.

"Peril just walked through the fire, and Clay's nearly immune to fire. In addition, fire needs air, doesn't it? Don't bring the water to the fire, bring the fire to the water. Or just move it out of the way. Either one works, seeing as the rocks are where the fire's coming from."

Peril tilted her head at Starflight. "He **is** smart." she said. "Just like you said. I guess we could do that. If you're really sure you want to escape tonight, that is."

Starflight closed his eyes, but before he could try to determine the best course of action, Tsunami spoke. "Of course we are, let's get out of here!"

"But -"

"We can hide somewhere and wait, try to figure out things from there. We can wait while Peril frees Sunny and Kestrel -"

"And Glory, We have to save Glory." Clay interrupted.

"Glory?" Peril frowned.

"The RainWing. Queen Scarlet's new artwork," Clay said.

"Oh," Peril said. "Her. She's very beautiful." She narrowed her eyes at Clay. Starflight breathed in sharply. Peril had a crush on Clay? What? No, he must be mistaken. But her behaviour fit…

"Run now, worry later. Is there anywhere we can hide?" Tsunami interrupted.

Peril snapped her wings open. "Below the waterfall. There's a cave only I know about." She turned, nearly smacking Clay with her tail, and hopped into the fire. Without ceremony she picked up and moved some of the black rocks, leaving a gap big enough to jump through, although Clay went first in case the gap was too small. It wasn't. When they were all out in the tunnel, Peril and Clay rebuilt the wall of fire across the cave entrance.

"There. Now she'll have no idea how you got out." Peril said with satisfaction.

"Or she'll blame you," Starflight responded.

"Can you get these off our wings?" Tsunami whispered, pointing to the bindings. Peril opened her mouth to answer, but Starflight was quicker.

"No. If we get caught without those bindings, and those bindings are found burned, Queen Scarlet WILL blame Peril, and that will probably be all kinds of bad."

"Okay… which way to the waterfall then?" Tsunami asked.

Peril nodded up the tunnel and slithered off, leading the way. Tsunami and Clay were whispering, but Starflight was trying to catch a glimpse of the future. No luck. Wait…

Four moons. The earth shook. A mountain spewed out fire. NightWings and IceWings clashed over a mountain. The vision ended.

A vision, but one that he could not link to the situation at hand. He cursed under his breath, causing Tsunami to look at him strangely, but he shook his head at her.

Shortly before they reached the central hall, the tunnel turned left and began to rise. Peril signalled for silence, and they crept toward the sound of dragons shouting, singing, and smashing things.

Peril glanced over her shoulder at Clay, who was trying to move as quietly as possible.

"Hey," she whispered. "Once you're free… what are you going to do?"

"We'll find our parents," Clay whispered back. "I've never been to the MudWing kingdom, I can't wait."

"Really?" Peril said. "You'll go straight there? Just the five of you?"

"Probably, but I'm not the one who makes the plans."

They continued on in silence.

* * *

They had climbed two levels and circled behind the balconies when they reached an open doorway as tall as five dragons and just as wide. They hid around a corner of the tunnel and peeked out.

The doorway led out onto a flat half-circle plateau lit by floating globes of fire, packed with elegant SkyWings whose jewelry sparkled in the light and awkward SandWings who looked as though they would rather be charging into battle than making polite conversation. Statues of Queen Scarlet in various regal poses were scattered about the floor, some carved from marble, some of gold, others of smooth black rock with rubies for eyes. Tables around the outside were piled high with food, and the floor was teeming with prey, prevented from escaping by a low stone barrier and the cliffs around the plateau. The scavengers seemed to be having more luck hiding than the rest of the prey, as one was trying to climb the cliff, and another was hiding under a table. The plateau was surprisingly close to the arena. Queen Scarlet reclined on a tall golden throne, and a shorter throne was set up next to her for Burn. Even with the height difference of the thrones, Burn was nearly as tall as the queen. Burn seemed to find her throne… uncomfortable. Now where… there! Over the center of the space, a large birdcage was hanging from wires strung between tall poles on either side of the plateau. Lying inside the cage, to all appearances asleep, was Sunny. Starflight snorted. If she were so inclined, she could escape at any time and no one would know. No fancy cage could hold a sufficiently creative Animus dragon, after all. Even an enchanted cage could be circumvented. Tsunami was holding Clay back.

"Wait, Clay. Trying now is suicide unless Sunny… helps. Better to leave now and come back later."

Peril didn't seem to notice his hesitation. Good.

"But she's all alone, Starflight."

"She's awake, you know. She almost certainly knows we're here."

"You guys cross first," Peril said. "Crouch and run, they probably won't spot us."

"I'll go first, then. I can blend in best." Starflight said. He darted across, his scales blending into the shadows around him, and he made it across undetected. Taking the opportunity while Peril couldn't see, he reached out to Sunny. He may trust Peril with Clay's fire resistance, but only eight dragons knew that he and Sunny had powers, them included, and he wasn't eager to change that.

"_You doing alright, Sunny?_"

"_Starflight. Why do you seem to be nearby? What are you doing?_"

"_Right now? Trying to escape. Plan A is Peril comes back to free you and Glory tomorrow - do you know Peril?_"

"_Coppery dragon, unusually warm, flaming blue eyes?_"

"_That's her._"

"_Saw her once. You trust her?_"

"_Clay does. I had a vision that showed that at some point in the future, she will save Clay's life. She knows about the fire resistance, but not about our powers and definitely not about your magic. Speaking of, that's Plan B._"

"_Have you Seen anything?_"

"_One irrelevant vision. Somewhere, a volcano will explode, and NightWings and IceWings will fight above a mountain._"

"_Unhelpful… good luck._"

"_You too, Sunny._"

By then, Tsunami and Clay had made it across. Peril arrived a few moments later.

"Sorry, I had to wait for the queen to look away."

The tunnel branched. Peril took the branch leading down under the feast. As they moved along, the tunnel grew darker and darker as the torches were spaced further and further apart. Starflight could hear the roar of a waterfall ahead. In the darkness of the tunnel, he tried to See…

* * *

Queen Scarlet was at the feast when a guard ran up to her.

"Your Majesty! The wall of fire in Peril's cave is gone, the dragonets have escaped! We can't find them anywhere!"

Queen Scarlet let out a roar of rage and stalked off. The vision shifted.

* * *

Glory was relaxing on her tree when Queen Scarlet stormed into the room.

"Your Majesty what -"

The rest of Glory's sentence was cut off by a scream as Queen Scarlet set her on fire. She was able to shoot venom, but she had been taken by surprise and was only able to hit Queen Scarlet with a few drops. Painful, but nowhere near lethal. Queen Scarlet left the room. Glory was dead. The vision shifted again.

* * *

Sunny perked up in her birdcage and began muttering.

"I enchant this birdcage to open, and to emit a flash of light long enough for me to escape."

Sure enough, the birdcage opened. As the guards flew up to close it again, Starflight was forced to watch as a blinding flash of light emitted from the cage. As he wasn't really there, he was able to see, but the guards and guests certainly couldn't. All, that is, except one. Princess Burn of the SandWings, through luck or through instinct, had her eyes closed and took only a few seconds to recover. She took off in pursuit, her soldiers following as they recovered. They quickly caught up to Sunny, who shouted another desperate enchantment.

"I enchant the statues of Queen Scarlet to each ram into an airborne SandWing!"

They did. Including the heavy marble statue that flew up and crashed into a dragon who had almost caught up with Sunny, knocking them both out of the sky. And the exquisite gold statue that did the same to Burn. As they fell, Starflight could hear Sunny shout a third spell.

"I enchant my scales to be invulnerable!"

A crash. Starflight found his vision focused on Sunny. She was fine, so where was all the blood coming from? A wound on her side? Oh, no... Sunny stumbled and walked away, not noticing that the tail of the SandWing pursuer was covered in blood. She didn't realize she had been stabbed. Sunny was a dead dragon walking. The vision ended with Sunny stumbling again, falling, and trying to cast another spell on a rock before succumbing to the poison.

"I… I enchant… this rock to… "

* * *

They emerged on a narrow ridge halfway up a tall, craggy cliff. By the light of the moons they could see straight down to a glittering, winding river far below. The waterfall pounded ahead of them, loud and fierce, as the wind carried bursts of cold spray into their faces.

Starflight didn't continue. "Wait."

The other three turned to him. "What?"

"We need to go back."

"WHAT!"

"You heard me. It… occurs to me that if we leave, Glory, Sunny, or both will be killed. Remember what Burn was saying about breaking the prophecy? They won't take the risk of us getting Sunny out, and Queen Scarlet knows that Glory's one of us."

"Well, that DOES sound like the queen. What do we do then?" Peril asked.

Starflight closed his eyes, intending to think for a second, but instead…

* * *

"Thank you, Peril," the queen said nastily. "You may be excused."

* * *

"We go back to the feast. Peril, you will alert Queen Scarlet that we've escaped, but that you're unable to take us alive, and get her and her soldiers to follow us. We'll have a head start, so we should be caught… around here, actually. You need to pretend that you didn't want to turn us in. Can you do that?"

"Well, I DON'T want to turn you in, so yes."

"Good. Just… trust me, that's all I'm asking for now. I know what I'm doing. I think."

They returned to the feast and parted ways. Peril walked through the door to alert the queen, as Clay, Tsunami, and Starflight ran back the way they came. They were back at the tunnel near the cliff when they heard wingbeats, and Queen Scarlet descended from the cliff above, followed by a rain of SkyWing soldiers. Peril was beside her, looking conflicted.

"Thank you, Peril," the queen said nastily. "You may be excused."

Peril shot Clay an agonized look and fled up the tunnel. Queen Scarlet smiled at the dragonets.

"Going somewhere?"

* * *

The queen was not amused to find her wall of fire still in place when the dragonets were hauled back to their cell. She sighed disapprovingly, with an undercurrent of… murderous rage. Fun.

"So you've figured out what MudWings hatched from blood-red eggs can do. We suppose it was only a matter of time."

Tsunami, Starflight, and Clay looked appropriately grim, and alarm bells were ringing in Starflight's mind. From what he'd seen of Queen Scarlet, she didn't tend to refer to herself in the plural. The guards started moving the rocks with long shovels.

"Find the ten most sober guards and post them out here. These dragonets are done ruining Our party." Queen Scarlet instructed Vermilion. She was enraged, extremely so. She continued on. "It's really very selfish of you," she snapped. "Our hatching day only comes once a year. We have been planning this for months. So stop being awful, or We shall take Princess Burn's advice and kill you right now."

That sentence shocked even Starflight. Queen Scarlet laughed and visibly calmed.

"Of course I know she's a princess, but it's not like I'm going to remind her that she hasn't won the throne yet when she's standing right next to me, or even in public." She left the room, quickly replaced by ten very grouchy SkyWing guards. The only thing to speak of was the vision, so he reached out to Clay and Tsunami, and tapped them both on the shoulder. When they looked at him, he projected.

"_I suppose you're wondering exactly what I Saw._"

They both nodded.

"_I can't keep this up for long, so I'll be quick. Plan A, which we were doing, was for Peril to rescue Glory and Sunny tomorrow. However, the moment Queen Scarlet heard that we'd escaped, she stormed off in a murderous rage and set Glory on fire. All Glory managed to do was melt a small part of the queen's face. Plan B, Sunny using magic to free herself and Glory, fails when she gets out of her cage. Burn recovers quickly, and leads a small army of SandWings to recapture her. She enchants the statues of the queen to attack the SandWings, but one of the pursuers is too close. The statue knocks them both out of the sky, Sunny gets stabbed in the chaos, and while she renders her scales invulnerable with magic to survive the crash, she never noticed the wound. By the time she realizes something's wrong, it's too late. She tries to enchant a rock to do something, but falls unconscious before being able to complete the spell, and dies soon after. We had no choice but to be caught, but this way, Peril is more trusted. Understand?_"

Tsunami and Clay looked shaken, but nodded again. After that, there was nothing to talk about, so one by one, they fell asleep. After all, tomorrow they would face the arena once more. And this time, all three would have to fight.


	9. Gill

**Apollo: Hello again! We're back, just over a week after last time, with a chapter that broke 5 digits. We have around 11,800 words of content for this chapter... damn, I suddenly have a lot more respect for Nimbus Llewelyn and Saphroneth. And they were already two of my favorite authors. **

**Hermes: Shorter AN this time, sorry for the thousand-word AN last chapter, but things needed to be said. To gdavis23 - about the plotline, you gotta give it a bit of time. We're still in the first book. Butterfly of DOOM needs time to take effect, the plot will deviate more noticeably soon. And as the plot deviates, we will probably be adding quite a few OCs. The story is, however, currently centered around a few pivotal dragons. Not many OCs can be shoved in there at this point And for the rest, thanks! As you can see, we've handled the updating thing. :) **

**Artemis: I have made some dragon OCs as an art project, so... to Blackberry Avar - yeah... that character development? And that depth to the characters? It's sooooo on purpose! But to quote Bob Ross, happy accidents! Also, by the way, there will almost certainly not be romance, at least not as a main focus of the fic. This is a story about adventure and daring escapes from the jaws of Peril. Thanks for forgiving us for the massive gap before the last chapter, it's near the end of the school year and we're all scrambling to finish. **

**Apollo: You know how I said last chapter that this would be the first chapter shorter than the previous one? **

**Hermes: He lied.  
**

**Apollo: Yeah. I'm actually surprised that we got this done so quickly. This is the final chapter of the arc corresponding to The Dragonet Prophecy. The next chapter will be an interlude, and then we get into The Lost Heir, now more deviated from canon. On to the fic!**

* * *

The roaring of dragons woke them in the morning, and the three dragonets barely had enough time to scramble to their feet as guards poured into the cave. The black rocks had burned to embers and were easily swept into the pool. Most of them grabbed Tsunami and began carrying her towards the arena, while Starflight and Clay each got one guard herding them up the tunnel.

"Wait!" Clay cried. "Where is she going? Why can't we go with her?"

"Listen to him. **Oh, please hurry up and kill me,**" his guard mocked.

"Don't worry, it'll be your turn soon enough," said the other, both cackling unpleasantly.

Clay and Starflight were shoved up a flight of long, wide, black stairs and emerged into bright sunlight. It was the queen's balcony. Queen Scarlet was already lounging on her throne, and smirked as they arrived.

"I thought you'd appreciate the best view in the house for this." She nodded at the arena, where Tsunami was trying to break free of the guards around her. Really, this was getting ridiculous. Were the SkyWings so incompetent that it took ten burly guards to restrain one dragonet? Chains were wound around their necks, and Clay and Starflight were bolted to rings on the floor. Burn stalked in, ignoring her throne to stand next to the queen. She glowered at all the dragons equally. She did not seem to be the type of dragon to watch others fight when she could be doing so herself. Glory was wheeled into the light. Starflight regarded her lazily and winked. She smiled.

"_Did you know you could shoot venom?_"

_No. Did anyone else see me do it?_

"_Not that I could tell. Are you capable of doing it again?_"

_Yes._

Burn's black eyes were fixed on Glory.

"Oh, that's my new toy," Queen Scarlet said airily. "Pretty, isn't she? I bet I'm the only queen with my very own RainWing."

"Waste of food," Burn muttered, with an envious expression.

"She doesn't eat much," the queen said a little more seriously. "She's more like an exotic plant than a dragon. Water, lots of sunshine, a little fruit, a monkey here or there… worth it until I get bored of her."

"Hmmmm," said Burn.

Vermilion fluttered down into the center of the arena.

"Fellow dragons. Loyal SkyWings and visiting MudWings and honored SandWing guests. We have a full slate of thrilling games today, so let's begin!"

Three moons, it was hereditary. Vermilion turned to gesture at Tsunami, but she broke free and charged at him. With a yelp of terror, Vermilion shot into the sky, barely escaping her talons.

"Your Majesty, you really need better guards," Starflight remarked.

"I know, right? You'd think ten guards would be enough for ONE DRAGONET. The sad thing is, these are the best who aren't on deployment!" Queen Scarlet lamented.

The dragons in the audience roared with laughter, though Starflight could see a few SandWings looking at Vermilion with contempt. Tsunami hissed at Vermilion.

"Looks like someone's mistaken me for her opponent today," Vermilion announced, laughing nervously. "Sorry to disappoint, SeaWing, but there's a much more dramatic fellow we'd like you to meet." He gestured up, and Starflight saw three guards wrestling with a pea-green SeaWing on a spire.

"Down on the sands, we have one of the so-called dragonets of destiny," Vermilion bellowed, wisely staying away from Tsunami. "Are they really so great and powerful? Let's find out! I give you… Tsunami of the SeaWings!"

The sound of beating wings and hissing fire-breath filled the arena. It was loud, and Starflight could pick out some of the voices in the crowd.

"It's really them! The dragonets of destiny!"

"Well, you saw what the MudWing did to Fjord! What was **that**?"

"Did you hear the mountain singing last night?"

"Such a fabulous party…"

"...must have been an omen."

"...ghosts in the peaks… the dragonets are here…"

"...wearing the same ruby medallion! It was too embarrassing."

"...hope she wins…"

Queen Scarlet looked annoyed and flicked her tail at Vermilion as if to say, **Get on with it**.

"AHEM," said Vermilion. Yes, he actually said ahem. Starflight chuckled, and Clay looked at him strangely.

"Some of you may remember a dragon a few months back who refused to fight."

"BOOOOOOOOOOO!" the crowd chanted obediently.

"Indeed," said Vermilion. "Tried to start a regular prisoner revolution, didn't he? Tried to get all the dragons to stop fighting. Clearly he had to be taught a lesson, or we'd all be lying in our caves right now, bored out of our skulls. Am I right?"

"WOO HOOOO!" the crowd agreed.

"So what's the best way to punish a SeaWing?" Vermilion swooped over the crowd, trying to look as if he was perfectly comfortable in the air instead of on the sands where he usually did his announcing.

"Chop off his head!"

"Stuff grass in his gills!"

"Drown him!"

Starflight burst out laughing. Queen Scarlet turned to him.

"What's so funny?"

"Drown - drowning a SeaWing!" Starflight choked out.

Queen Scarlet looked annoyed.

"Yes, my subjects can be… weak-minded occasionally. Still, it's almost as good for entertainment as the fights."

Vermilion sighed. "All good suggestions," he said. "But no. The best way to punish a SeaWing - is to take away their water. **All** their water. For months."

Tsunami paled in horror. Starflight was torn between horror and appreciation for Queen Scarlet's creativity. He was sure that Burn, for instance, would have settled for direct torture.

The writhing SeaWing landed hard on the sands, dropped by the guards. Starflight was amused to see that Tsunami was half his size and yet needed thrice as many guards. She would win this. The SeaWing had talons as sharp and curved as fishhooks, dried blood flecking his mouth as if he'd tried to drink it. His scales were dull and crusted, his dark green eyes bloodshot and rolling wildly in his emaciated skull. He looked entirely insane.

"Dehydrated, mentally unstable, and ready to fight at last. It's Gill of the SeaWings!"

Starflight heard no more, for at the mention of the name of the SeaWing, a vision began.

* * *

A SeaWing whose scales were identical in colour to Tsunami's, but with claws that looked to be stained with ink. She had an odd twisted spike attached to her tail, and she was speaking in a hollow voice.

"Tsunami… Gill was your father."

* * *

The fight had begun. At the moment, Gill was trying to slam himself down on Tsunami's back, and she slashed at his underbelly with her claws. Scarlet blood spurted over her blue scales. Gill's talons slipped, and he crashed face-first into the sand as Tsunami shot away. He was up immediately and lunged at Tsunami, managing to catch her tail and yank her off her feet. She bit the webbed skin between his talons, and Gill dropped her with a soundless roar. It was slightly unnerving seeing dragons fight in silence. Tsunami whirled around, smashing her tail into Gill's legs, and he went down like a toppling boulder. Tsunami pounced, seizing his horns in her front claws and slamming his face into the sand as she pinned his wings with her back talons. He thrashed, but could not dislodge Tsunami.

"I've won," Tsunami shouted. "You can all see that. We can end this now, without killing anyone. I ask you all to let me let him live!"

The crowd was stunned. Queen Scarlet had a smug expression, as though she knew exactly what would happen next.

"KILL HIM!" several SkyWings shouted at once. "Snap his neck! Pull out his teeth! Oooo, gouge his eyes! Something gory! Death! Death! Death! Death!" Suddenly all the dragons were shouting at her in unison.

Tsunami lowered her head, breathing hard. She seemed to be studying Gill, perhaps wondering if there was any way short of madness to bring him back from his madness. Starflight had to come up with something quickly. His foretelling was useless here, so that left his telepathy. It would be difficult, but not impossible. Queen Scarlet was amused. She was preparing to deny Tsunami's plea as cruelly as possible. Starflight acted.

"_Perhaps it would be better to keep him alive. If I accede to the little SeaWing's request, the dragonets will be more inclined to support me… and Peril's loyalty belongs to the MudWing._"

Some suspicion, but she seemed to accept this train of thought as her own. Starflight held his breath.

"Very well. In my infinite mercy, I shall grant your plea. Guards! Take him back to his pillar, and give him water. Ensure that he knows that should he refuse to fight again, his death shall be even slower and more painful than his punishment!" Queen Scarlet announced. Guards swept down and pulled Gill away from Tsunami as she sprang away.

"What are you doing?" Burn hissed.

"Keeping the loyalty of the most dangerous dragon in my kingdom. No need to break the prophecy further if we can use it."

"I don't like it."

"I know, but do humour me in my own palace. We always have the backup plan."

Starflight heaved a sigh of relief. Down in the arena, dragons were pelting Tsunami with small jewels. Tsunami looked bewildered at this.

"Now it's time for the NightWing! My hatching-day present to me!"

Starflight looked at Clay.

"_Not much time. I'm likely about to be extracted by NightWings. If you escape before I return, ensure that Kestrel is free and knows to meet you at the point where the Diamond Spray River branches into the Delta, and bring Gill with you. He's Tsunami's father. If Peril escapes with you, good, make sure she comes with you to the branch of the river, and if she doesn't, tell her to meet you at Jade Mountain if you still think she can be trusted. Got it?_"

_Yes, Starflight._

"Wait!" Clay cried as the guards began to unchain Starflight. "Let me fight for him instead!"

"These dragonets," Queen Scarlet said, waving a claw at Burn. "Constantly pushing and shoving to save each other. It's just the weirdest thing." She signaled the guards with a talon, and they hauled Starflight off to the tunnel. As he left earshot, he could hear Burn complaining about the frivolity of the palace, and the queen admonishing her in a warning tone.

No one had rechained Tsunami. She was still standing in the arena, sweeping her new treasure into a pile at the edge, out of the way. Starflight was shoved out of the tunnel.

"Hello there."

Tsunami looked up.

"Is she seriously…?"

"It seems so."

Vermilion was speaking from the safety of a ledge opposite the queen's balcony. "The rarest of all dragons. A real live NightWing. Is he the dragonet of the prophecy? Let's see what happens when two of them have to fight each other. Tsunami of the SeaWings and Starflight of the NightWings! Claws up, teeth ready! Fight!"

"What do you say, Tsunami? Should we fight?"

"Nah. That's almost as dumb an idea as drowning a SeaWing!"

"Just can't get a good audience these days, can we? One that truly appreciates basic anatomy!"

"Soooooooo torturous I'm drowning help."

The audience laughed.

"I mean, why would you even suggest drowning a SeaWing? That's hardly an issue for a tribe that can BREATHE UNDERWATER." Tsunami continued.

"Your Majesty, was this really your plan? You can't seriously think we'd fight each other."

Queen Scarlet sighed. "Worth a shot. Vermilion! Release the scavengers!"

Vermilion flapped his wings, and a huge cage came rolling out of the tunnel. The prince flew to the top of it and bit down to sever the cord that held the door. The door fell open, and four scavengers burst onto the sand, three of them waving claws and squeaking ferociously. The fourth looked young, male, and had a small metal stick in place of his left foot. Starflight idly noted that Queen Scarlet and Burn were talking. Burn's tail arched, but she seemed to settle upon a few more words from the queen.

"Now this is more like it. SkyWings, MudWings, and SandWings. I shall now demonstrate the proper technique for a FIRE-BREATHING dragon such as ourselves for killing scavengers." Starflight shouted, addressing the crowd.

Burn looked angry. The clawless scavenger was slowly advancing towards Starflight, a hand outstretched. Starflight promptly set him on fire. One scavenger bolted for the tunnel entrance, Tsunami cuffed the third into the crowd, where a SkyWing ate him. The scavenger who ran was herded back by a trio of large SkyWing guards with long spears. She pelted across the sand, letting out a long shriek of fear, crashed into the opposite wall and fell over. She didn't get back up. Tsunami wandered over and ate her. The burning scavenger was dead by now, and the last scavenger ran directly at Starflight, waving her claw menacingly. Starflight set her on fire too.

Queen Scarlet was shouting. "Vermilion! Let's go straight to the IceWings!"

"Any time now…" Starflight muttered, causing Tsunami to look at him questioningly.

"Just trust Clay," Starflight told her. At that moment, a cloud seemed to pass over the sun, but the large concentration of minds told Starflight what the fluttering of wings told the rest of the dragons. A wave of darkness had blotted out the sun, and one piece of the darkness separated from the rest, spiraling down into the arena, ducking under the web of wires. He descended magnificently onto the sand, wings outstretched.

Morrowseer had arrived at last.

* * *

"This dragonet is ours." Morrowseer declared, pointing at Starflight. He seemed to fill the whole arena, sucking in all the light from around him. Did he plan that effect?

"Ours who?" Queen Scarlet said. "We found him with some Talons of Peace revolutionaries. Are you telling me the NightWings have finally chosen sides?"

Burn chimed in. "Are you allying yourselves with an underground peace movement instead of a real queen?" She snarled.

"No," the immense NightWing rumbled. "I come only to claim this dragonet as ours. We will take him and go."

"Oh, **will** you?" said Queen Scarlet. "On whose authority? Would your mysterious queen like to appear and discuss jurisdiction with me?"

Morrowseer's eyes glittered maliciously. "Do not anger the NightWings, SkyWing queen. Give us our dragonet."

"No! I want to see him fight IceWings! It's my hatching day!"

Starflight considered detailing exactly how little Morrowseer cared, but decided that it would be more entertaining just to watch. He was getting out of here either way, and Glory was helpfully positioned next to the royals. The moment she chose, Queen Scarlet, or better yet, Burn, would be dead or severely injured. Morrowseer's tail twitched, and several NightWings, at least sixteen, plummeted out of the sky and attacked the bound, defenseless IceWing prisoners. Within moments, all of them were dead. Unfair, certainly. Cowardly, for sure. But well planned and executed. Unnecessary, but impactful. So much smoke billowed out of the queen's nostrils that it was impossible to see her face for a few seconds before it dispersed. Burn looked ready to attack Morrowseer herself.

The large NightWing smirked. "There," he said. "We've taken care of your IceWing problem. Now we'll be going."

Before Queen Scarlet could react, Morrowseer had grabbed Starflight and flown south, the rest of the NightWings following.

* * *

They landed on a mountain within sight of the SkyWing palace. Morrowseer rounded on Starflight.

"What exactly do you think you were doing? You got captured and nearly executed. What were you thinking!"

Morrowseer was worried, but not for the dragonets. His concern seemed to be for the NightWings in general.

"I **thought** that since we were being captured anyway, we should make some allies."

"You call that making allies?"

"No, but we have managed to sway the loyalty of Queen Scarlet's champion, a SkyWing whose touch is a flame, aptly named Peril."

Morrowseer was taken aback.

"You managed to convince her to help you?"

"I convinced her to betray us. We had an opportunity to escape -"

"And you didn't take it?"

"If we had, I have no doubt that Sunny and Glory would have been executed, and while I know you care nothing for Glory, Sunny is important to the prophecy. As we saw in the arena, the prophecy is broken, but not powerless. The majority of dragons believe in it, and that gives it power beyond mere destiny."

"And how are you so sure of this?"

"Queen Scarlet can be terrifyingly irrational at times. Earlier, I had witnessed her execute a loyal subject whose only fault was teaching Peril about an obscure law that allowed her to protect a traitor who the queen wanted dead."

"That's fair… anyway, to the reason I brought you here. The NightWings have chosen a side."

"Obviously not Burn's, or you'd have said so. Blister or Blaze?"

"Blister. To that end, you **will** have your friends agree to choose Blister to be the SandWing queen when the time comes."

"Odds are that she's using you, you know that, right?"

"Yes, but even if she is, her offer is too good to refuse."

"And that offer is?"

"I told you that we live on an island, yes?"

"You did."

"The island is home to a volcano that our chief scientist predicts will erupt in a matter of years. Blister has offered us land to flee to after it does."

"It seems you could have gotten a better deal from Blaze, without the danger of being manipulated."

"Possibly, but the queen wouldn't stand for working with a dragon so gullible as to offer a massive chunk of her kingdom to her ally in the event of victory. She should have done what Blister and Burn did - offer the land of her enemies."

"Do you know what Blister promised the SeaWings?"

"Some land in what is now the MudWing kingdom, and a permanent alliance."

"Ok. Convince my friends to choose Blister. Got it. Anything else? Is there a plan to free the others?"

"There is. Tonight, barring unexpected events, some of my agents will enter the palace under cover of night to free the SandWing. At the same time, more NightWings will extract the MudWing and the SeaWing."

Starflight noticed that he made no mention of Glory.

"So they are to be brought here?"

"Yes."

"And if they escape on their own?"

"In that unlikely event, we will bring you to them."

"Actually, it may not be so unlikely. Can you bring me to the point where the Diamond Spray River branches into the Delta, and bring them there if they don't escape on their own, because that's where we've arranged to meet in the event of an escape."

"I don't see the harm in that. Remember, Blister for queen."

"Got it."

Really, Morrowseer could be quite likeable. A shame that he was as untrustworthy as he was affable.

* * *

Morrowseer had removed Starflight's wing bands, escorted him to the area he had specified, and took to the sky once more. He was trying to stay out of sight, but Starflight could sense him circling far above. Starflight lay down to wait, and tried to peer into the flow of time…

* * *

The site of a great battle between MudWings, IceWings, and SandWings. Clay, Sunny, Tsunami, and Glory flew above. The scene changed.

* * *

The same place, but now dragons were fighting. At the centre of the scene, six dragonets flew through the battle, snapping and clawing at a unit of IceWings. One of them charged at the group, but they scattered. The smallest flew straight down, and the IceWing followed. The largest MudWing looked down.

"Crane! Left!"

She was too slow. The IceWing collided with her and lifted her up, slitting her throat, then flying away after grinning at the remaining MudWings. As the scene shifted again, the last thing Starflight could hear was the large dragonet's agonized cry.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Clay was facing Peril in the arena, and Clay had Peril pinned. Queen Scarlet was speaking.

"Hurry up and do it, then! You have her at your mercy. Use your venom! That was thrilling, and I didn't even get to see it the first time!"

Clay and Peril looked at each other. They laughed.

Queen Scarlet looked annoyed. "What's so funny?"

"This," came a hiss from the balcony.

Glory reared up in a blaze of sunflower gold and cobalt blue and lunged at Burn, spitting venom out of her two longest fangs. Burn hastily shoved the queen in front of her and took to the sky as Glory's venom struck the side of Queen Scarlet's head.

Then the screaming started.

All the dragons in the arena took to the sky, eager to escape Glory and the wounded queen. Their screams of fear mingled with the queen's screams of agony as the venom ate into her face. Peril touched Clay's wing bindings, and they fell away.

"Come on! Tsunami, then Gill."

"Do we have to save the nutter?"

"Starflight said to do it, so we will. As I said, he's rarely wrong."

"Fine."

Fortunately, in the pandemonium, Peril had time to free both Gill and Tsunami. In an even greater stroke of luck, Gill was asleep, likely from his heavy exertion after months of dehydration.

"Go save Sunny! I'll get Gill to the rendezvous point! Follow the main branch of the Diamond Spray River!" Shouted Clay as he flew south, carrying Gill. The vision shifted.

* * *

Peril reached Sunny's cage first and slashed at the bars with her claws. The metal sizzled and steamed for a moment, then dropped to the ground below.

"You know, you could have just dealt with the lock." Sunny pointed out. Peril looked at her, confused.

"I just got you out of the cage, and the first thing you do is criticize my method?" Peril asked.

"Yes, and thanks for that. I was worried I'd have to use my other way out." Sunny chirped.

Tsunami and Glory arrived.

"We need to go, they've nearly sorted themselves out!" Tsunami yelled.

"We're not leaving without Kestrel." Sunny replied.

Peril nodded. "I agree. If the queen isn't dead, the first thing she'll do is kill my mother. Let's go."

Not giving Tsunami and Glory a chance to argue, they flew away. Cursing, Tsunami and Glory followed, Glory's scales changing colour to a clear sky-blue. The vision swirled away.

* * *

"So what did you mean by your other way out?" Asked Peril as they flew.

"Let's just say that I could have escaped at any time, but it served better to stay. After all, if I escaped before now, my friends would all be killed." Sunny answered evasively. The vision cut to black and was replaced by another.

* * *

Peril landed next to the grate over Kestrel's cell and immediately began burning through the metal. Sunny, Tsunami, and Glory landed seconds later.

"What are you doing here? Go! Run! Take this chance while you still can!" Kestrel snarled.

"We'll be fine either way. Clay got out already, with a prisoner Starflight said to retrieve, and we'll be gone as soon as we get you out. Although I don't know why we're bothering." Tsunami said.

"We're bothering because we're not leaving her to get killed slowly and painfully, Tsunami." Sunny chided gently.

"Then why isn't she out already, Sunny?"

"Because we can afford to spend the time here a little longer, and Peril's making good progress."

"Wait, you can get me out quicker?" Kestrel asked, confused.

"Well, not right now. The guards are about to show up, so Tsunami, Glory, we need to avoid capture. If they have spears, they can hurt Peril too."

The three dragonets turned and started fighting two SkyWing guards who burst out of the nearest tunnel. They were good, as evidenced by the fact that they were actually putting up a decent fight against a dragon who knew what they were trying the moment they thought of it. Meanwhile, Peril and Kestrel were conversing while the bars melted.

"I thought you were dead," Kestrel said.

"I thought **you** were dead." Peril answered coldly.

"I'd heard about Scarlet's lethal new champion," Kestrel said. "Didn't know it was you."

Peril shrugged. "I guess I didn't need you. I turned out alright without you. Queen Scarlet took care of me. She found me the black rocks I needed and gave me a purpose, a place to live."

"What black rocks?"

"You must know. I need to eat them daily in order to live." Peril responded.

"Lies. You don't need them."

"But I stopped taking them and got sick!"

"Poison in the food, it's one of Scarlet's favourite tricks. Scarlet was using that to control you, to make you think you needed her."

Peril's eyes widened, and at that moment, she broke through the last of the bars. She burst out of her cell.

"Kill them and let's go!" Kestrel roared.

Peril darted toward the guard who was fighting Tsunami and Glory at the same time. They darted out of the way as Peril cannoned into the hapless SkyWing, and within seconds, he was dead. Sunny regarded her opponent.

"Run," she said simply. The guard didn't hesitate, bolting down the tunnel.

"Stupid worm! She'll raise the alarm. Scarlet will catch us in moments," Kestrel hissed from behind her.

"Considering that the last I saw of her, her face was starting to melt, that's unlikely. Now follow us and stop talking!" Tsunami growled.

"Where are we even going?" Kestrel asked.

"Clay told us to follow the Diamond Spray River." Glory answered.

The five dragons lifted off, spiraling up into the open sky, and began to fly south. Ahead, they could see a brown speck.

"There's Clay, come on!" Sunny exclaimed.

The vision ended.

* * *

Starflight opened his eyes and stretched. That was the most informative set of visions he'd had in a long time. Usually, it was dire warnings, but from the position of the sun in the vision of Clay and Peril, it had occurred as he was talking to Morrowseer. Wait… wasn't that the past? From there, the visions seemed to proceed in sequence, which meant that he was going to get company soon. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he could sense the others entering his range, Peril's mind unmistakeable, Gill's mind broken, but seemingly healing slowly, and the others easy to recognize. He had, after all, spent years under a mountain with them. He reached out to Sunny.

"_SUNNY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?_"

A faint acknowledgement. They moved closer, and the link became clearer.

"_I'M HERE, I CAN HEAR YOU!_" was Sunny's reply. Starflight shoved the memories of his visions to Sunny, along with a query.

"_How long ago did this happen?_"

A moment while Sunny processed the new memories, then she replied.

"_Maybe an hour ago, maybe a bit more. Visions?_"

"_Yes, but the weird thing is that I've seen these visions, all of them, in the last half hour or so._"

"_You can see the past?_"

"_It seems that way. I'll know more if we ever meet a dragon partly made of stone._"

Morrowseer flew away. He must have spotted them. As he left, Starflight could detect a faint surprise, mixed with amusement and a grudging respect. Minutes later, he could see them from the ground. They landed, and Clay dumped Gill in the river. Gill woke up.

"What… who are you?" he asked in a rasping voice.

"_Before we get any further, can you heal his mind and body? I could feel how broken it is from the edge of my range._" Starflight broadcast to Sunny.

"_What, with magic?_"

"_Unless you want Tsunami's father in danger of snapping at any moment._"

"_Her what!_"

"_Yes he is, I had a vision that told me that. Names and everything. Now, can you please?_"

"_I guess so._"

Sunny wandered away from the group and picked up a branch from the ground.

"What is she doing?" asked Kestrel.

"Nothing much," lied Starflight. Glory looked at him knowingly as Sunny returned.

"_What did you enchant the branch with?_" broadcast Starflight.

"_I enchanted it to be unbreakable, and to restore the mind and body of any dragon touched with the end of the branch to health._"

"_Sounds good._"

Sunny poked Gill with the branch. Gill's scales slowly became shinier, he began to look less emaciated, and his gaze sharpened. She poked him again, causing him to look at her, and she beckoned him to follow her downriver. He did so.

"And what are they doing?" asked Peril, who was sitting on a small section of newly burned grass by the riverside.

"Talking," answered Starflight.

"Is that safe?" pressed Peril.

"Yes. She'll be perfectly fine," Starflight replied, slightly annoyed. "Do you really think Sunny would lose a fight with him? Remember how easily Tsunami won. Then consider that while Tsunami's good, Sunny's better."

"He's right, as much as I hate to say it," Tsunami broke in. Clay began to cover himself in mud. Starflight took a second to scan Sunny's mind in case she went mad from this singular use of power, and grimaced, drawing worried looks from the others. At the edges of her mind, there seemed to be a rot. It was tiny, affecting a miniscule portion of her mind, and as Starflight watched it slowly receded. At that rate, it would be gone by tomorrow. Sunny and Gill came back to the group. Gill looked somewhat shocked.

"So we're out. What's your magnificent plan now?" snarked Kestrel from her spot across from Peril.

"Depends. Kestrel, you play no further part in the plan. You can go wherever you wish, just don't get killed. Peril, you can go with us, to Jade Mountain, with Kestrel, or back to the SkyWing kingdom, your choice. I advise against the last one. Gill comes with us. We are going to visit our homes, so Kestrel? What do you know about where we came from?" Starflight explained.

"No surprises with her," Kestrel said, jabbing a talon at Tsunami. "Webs stole your egg from the SeaWing queen's own hatchery."

Starflight shot a warning look at Gill. "Later," he said. Only Sunny and Clay didn't look at him in surprise.

"So you're royalty. Wasn't expecting that, good for you!" Sunny exclaimed.

"I'd say that counts as a surprise, Kestrel," Clay deadpanned.

"Morrowseer brought us Starflight's egg, Dune found Sunny's egg in the desert, hidden near the Scorpion Den, and Clay's from somewhere around the Diamond Spray Delta, where the lowest-born MudWings crawl."

"And what about me?" Glory asked.

"Webs scrounged you up somewhere after we lost the SkyWing egg. I never cared where, because I knew you weren't important."

Tsunami opened her mouth, but Clay was faster.

"You know she's the reason we had such an easy time escaping, right? She incapacitated Queen Scarlet, and the only thing she did wrong was that she didn't wait for Burn to look away before trying to kill her. If not for that, Burn wouldn't have used the queen as a shield, and we'd be down one SandWing princess."

"I don't think you'd be good for me," Peril said, staring up at her. "I never imagined you like this."

Kestrel hunched her shoulders. "I am the way life has made me. Take it or leave it." She spread her wings. "I'm going now, to Possibility. You can come with me or not. You can send me a message through the dragon of Jade Mountain if you need me."

"Just stay away from Morrowseer, he cannot be trusted," Starflight called after her.

"Alright!" Kestrel yelled down and disappeared from view.

Starflight had a feeling as to what Peril would choose, but he wanted to hear it directly from her.

"And you, Peril? Where are you going?"

"Where are you planning to go?"

"For now, the MudWing kingdom, and from there the SeaWing kingdom is closest. Then, probably to the rainforest. We should be at Jade Mountain within the month if all goes well."

"Then I think I'll wait at Jade Mountain. The MudWing kingdom's fine, but I don't want to burn down the rainforest, and I don't feel like open ocean would be good for me. And if you're going to meet the SeaWings, there will be swimming involved, and I don't know how to swim."

"That's no problem," Gill said quietly. "We use currents to pull ourselves."

"Regardless, I'd either drown or accidentally kill a few SeaWings. I'll be at Jade Mountain. Good luck!"

Peril took off and flew away. Tsunami turned to Starflight.

"So why did you have us rescue Gill, and why is he lucid?"

"To the second, because Sunny used magic to heal him. To the first, look at him."

Tsunami looked at Gill.

"You are looking at your father."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Tsunami, Glory, and Gill.

"Also, we're telling him everything, but only if Sunny told him about her… skills. Did you?"

"He knows I'm an Animus dragon, and that's it."

"_He doesn't know that I'm telepathic and precognitive,_" Sunny added telepathically to Starflight.

"Excellent! So, in order, Clay is nearly immune to fire, Glory can shoot venom from her fangs, and obviously change colour, and I can read minds and see the future. And possibly the past. Any questions?" Starflight asked gleefully.

Gill fainted.

* * *

_Twilight_

Webs woke in a river, southwest of the Diamond Spray Delta. He wondered what had awoken him, and saw a catfish staring at him. He ate it. He climbed out of the river, planning to head west and approach Possibility from the SkyWing side, where he could get in contact with a Talons spy, when he noticed dark shapes waiting for him. He spun around, but another dragon loomed out of the river to block his escape. Black spirals marked his green scales, and his teeth gleamed in the moonlight.

"Webs," said the other SeaWing in a pleasant voice, "I thought you'd never wake up."

Webs drew a talon through the riverbank mud. "Nautilus," he said evenly. "I have important news for the Talons."

"You don't say," said Nautilus. "I suppose you got lost on your way to the usual meeting place."

"So we thought we'd come find you," continued one of the dark figures, in a voice like icicles dripping. Webs recognized this voice. A trusted member of the Talons of Peace he may be, and a friend to Kestrel, but it was never a good sign when Cirrus the IceWing appeared.

"The SkyWings found our cave," Webs said. "Queen Scarlet took the dragonets and Kestrel. I was able to escape, and I don't know where Dune is." It was even true. He didn't know if Dune had decided to leave Jade Mountain, or his exact position at this moment.

"We gathered that much from how she's practically been standing on Jade Mountain's peak shouting for all the world to hear, 'I have the dragonets of destiny! They're all mine!' "

"Tell us everything," Cirrus hissed venomously. "How did they find you?"

"It started when two of the dragonets tried to run away."

"Why would they run away?" Nautilus asked sharply. "What did you do to them?"

Webs' gills flared. "We kept them alive. Underground, as per the decision of the **Talons of Peace**."

"But surely you caught the runaways and brought them back," said a voice in the shadows. It was Crocodile, a MudWing new to the Talons. In his few meetings with her, she'd been kind and sympathetic. Perhaps there was an ally here.

"No. They came back for the others. We weren't expecting that."

"And what does this have to do with the SkyWings?" Cirrus hissed.

"The SkyWings followed Clay and Tsunami back to the cave," Webs explained. "That's how Queen Scarlet found us. She brought guards, and they captured Kestrel and the dragonets. Dune was further in the cave, and I don't know what happened to him. I fought Queen Scarlet briefly, but she was too strong."

"Will she make them fight in her arena?" asked Crocodile. "Can they win?"

"In all likelihood, yes. They're skilled, we made sure of that. I pity the fool who tries to contain Tsunami."

"But who's to say that she won't kill them herself, or have that blasted champion of hers do it for her?" Cirrus hissed. This hissing was starting to become repetitive. "Mercy is not exactly in her nature. You know what she did to all the SkyWing dragonets who hatched on the brightest night."

"Clay can beat her champion, and I'd give Sunny even odds against the queen herself." Webs declared.

"Her champion can burn others with a single touch." Nautilus pointed out.

"So I heard, but I did some research a while back. MudWings hatched from blood eggs tend to be resistant to fire. Do I have that right, Crocodile?"

"Yes."

"So can't we go get them? If all the Talons attacked at once…" No. No matter how incompetent the guards, as Kestrel had ranted about to great length in the early years, there were still a hundred of them, and maybe half as many Talons, if that, and not all were skilled enough in combat for such an assault. Not to mention, if Scarlet sent in her champion…

"All the Talons?" Cirrus hissed. Again. "Forty dragons, not all of which can fight adequately, against maybe a hundred palace guards, plus the queen and her champion? Utterly brilliant. No wonder we left the dragonets in your capable claws." He snapped a bat out of the air. Tiny bones crunched.

"A suicide mission may not be needed. There's chaos in the SkyWing palace. Two of my spies just reported back. They both agree that something happened at around noon today. One of them claims that Queen Scarlet is dead - killed by the dragonets. The other is certain that they all died trying to fight their way out." Nautilus said. "If they are loose in Pyrrhia, how do you suggest we find them?" Nautilus continued. "Non-suicidal suggestions only, please. You can kill yourself on your own time."

"No idea, but they're resourceful. If they've escaped, they will probably not be found."

"If we can't get the dragonets back," Nautilus mused. "We'll have to consider our backup plan." He scratched his gills thoughtfully.

"Backup plan?" Webs asked, with a sinking feeling.

"The one you don't get to know about." Cirrus hissed. Seriously, that's all he seems to do.

"But we have to get them back!" Webs exclaimed. "They're **the** dragonets. The only ones who can stop the war."

"Oh, have some faith in the prophecy, Webs," Nautilus said.

"The Talons of Peace wouldn't put all their eggs in one nest. It's a good plan." Crocodile said reassuringly. Wait. Their?

"I don't understand," Webs said, tensing.

"Of course," Nautilus said, "that means you would be a problem."

Webs didn't even have time to curse before Cirrus was suddenly on his back, pinning him to the ground. One wing was twisted behind him, and he could feel the IceWing's serrated claws digging into his scales.

"What are you doing?" Webs yelped. "I'm one of you! I've been with the Talons for seven years!"

"And you failed us," Cirrus hissed.

"Would you stop doing that, Cirrus?" Webs gasped.

"Stop what?" Cirrus hissed.

"Hissing. Is that all you do? It's really distracting. And annoying." Perhaps not the wisest thing to say to a dragon currently pinning him, but it really was annoying.

"I'm going to dig your heart out and feed it to the fish," Cirrus growled. At least he wasn't hissing.

"But we're the dragons for peace. Shouldn't we, you know, **not** be killing me?"

"Sorry, Webs," Nautilus said. "Peace is more important than any one dragon. And you would disrupt our backup plan. We're doing this for your own good. For the prophecy. For peace."

"Hypocrite!" shouted Webs.

Nautilus gestured with one talon. "Cirrus, rip out his heart."

Cirrus flung Webs down onto his back, icicle-sharp talons ready to tear into Webs' underbelly.

Suddenly Crocodile cannoned into him, knocking Cirrus into the undergrowth.

Webs shot into the sky as fast as he could, hearing shouts behind him as Crocodile struck out at the dragons around her. Should he help her fight?

No, he decided. Looking down, she had already knocked out five of the six other dragons, and as he watched she finished dealing with Nautilus and took flight herself.

"Fly, Webs!" she cried. "I've knocked them out - they didn't see that coming. Ha!"

"Thank you." Webs called back.

"Where will you hide?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I could hide out at Jade Mountain -"

"You should go home," she said, tilting her wings to swoop under him. "I hear Queen Coral is in a merciful mood these days."

"She'll never forgive me, after everything I've done," he said. "I didn't just desert her during a battle. She must know that I was the one to steal her egg for the prophecy."

"You might be surprised," said Crocodile. "Isn't she supposed to be one of the greatest queens in history? That's what all the SeaWing scrolls say. Perhaps she'll forgive you. Why not take the chance, if it means you can go home again?"

"She's the one who **wrote** those scrolls!" Webs argued.

"It's up to you," Crocodile said, banking away. "I'm just telling you what I've heard. Good luck, either way."

"And to you," Webs called. She vanished into the trees. He did miss the sea with every scale on his body. The palaces, the currents, the whale song, the feasts, the gardens… the company… it had been far too long since he been to the sea.

* * *

Below, in the trees, Crocodile watched Webs fly northeast, in the direction of the sea. Grinning, she followed stealthily. If she managed to find the SeaWing hidden palace, Queen Burn would see that she was greatly rewarded…

* * *

Behind her, Cirrus followed. He had faked unconsciousness when Crocodile attacked, having caught her verbal slip. Even Webs caught it, but Nautilus wasn't expecting betrayal. Well, he hadn't found his scroll without excessive caution, perhaps bordering on paranoia. By now, he was sure that Crocodile had never been loyal to the Talons of Peace. If this were the case, then she was most likely working for Burn. Well, that's fine. It's not like he was in a position to judge. After all, he was working for all three SandWing princesses, Queen Scarlet, and the Talons, in some of his forms. Being able to be of any tribe had its benefits, certainly, and knowledge is always a power in and of itself. A shame he left his other masks at the Talons camp, but no matter. Though an IceWing was certainly noticeable in the middle of the night, he had one more trick. Cirrus slipped off his necklace.

A nondescript green RainWing flew after Crocodile, necklace dangling from his grip.

* * *

"He's fine, it's just shock."

"You sure, Starflight? I just met my father, and you broke him."

"I may have been… a little enthusiastic in unloading ridiculous amounts of information on him. Look, he's waking up!"

Gill opened his eyes.

"What just happened?"

"I told you some surprising things, and you fainted. Understandable, and hilarious as well. How much of it do you remember?"

"All of it… I gather your plan is to go to the MudWing kingdom to track down… Clay, wasn't it? His family, and then to the sea."

"Yep. If you're alright, we can continue on to the Delta."

"I'm fine. So, Tsunami…" Gill trailed off. Tsunami opened her mouth but was forestalled by Starflight.

"Bonding can wait until we reach the sea alive. Do remember that we're currently in hostile territory, alright?"

* * *

"Something you should know - Morrowseer said that the NightWings have chosen a side."

"WHAT!" shouted the other five.

"Yes. They are supporting Blister. I can condone their reasons, but not their methods." Starflight continued. "He also yelled at me for letting us get captured, until I pointed out that we'd gotten Peril on our side."

"What are their reasons?" Sunny asked.

"They're living on a volcano that they think is going to erupt within a few years. Blister offered them land to flee to afterwards."

"Huh. I guess that IS a good reason." Tsunami admitted.

"Come on, we should get going," Clay said, excited.

They took off and flew into the Delta, soon passing over a waterfall and arriving at a battlefield that Starflight recognized from his visions.

From the waterfall to the marshes ahead, the ground was littered with dead dragons. All covered in mud, but Starflight could see icy blue and off-white in there. From the battlefield on, the water was murky and dark with mud and blood, as far as the eye could see downriver.

"Three Moons…" Sunny breathed. "This battle must have happened within the last few days. Look at the fires, some of them are still burning."

"Who do you think won?" Tsunami asked.

"Won? If anyone won, it was the MudWings. Blaze's army expended effort and resources on a battle that was ultimately pointless, and I suspect there were far fewer MudWing casualties in proportion to the size of the armies." Gill said, sadly. "They didn't need to attack the MudWings. The terrain heavily favours them here. Attacking the SkyWings yesterday would have been a much better idea. More familiar terrain, fewer hiding places for the defenders where they wouldn't be instantly seen, and yesterday everyone in the kingdom was distracted. Queen Scarlet was foolish enough to open her kingdom to a single, devastating attack, and Blaze did not capitalize, instead wasting time here." Seeing the surprised looks on the dragonets' faces, he elaborated. "I was, and technically still am, a general in the SeaWing army. I've seen scenes like this many times in the last twenty years. It never gets better."

Clay seemed to realize something, and he grimaced.

"What is it?" asked Starflight.

"The MudWings won't trust the five of us, especially with Gill here. If we want to gather information, only I, and maybe Sunny and Glory, and go on ahead. They'd probably kill Tsunami and Gill on sight, and they won't trust you."

"Talons and tails, you're right," Starflight said. "Hey! Change of plan. Tsunami, Gill, Sunny, you'll be waiting nearby with me. Clay and Glory will go on ahead to look for Clay's family."

"Why?" asked Tsunami.

"Because Clay pointed out that the MudWings are likely to kill you and Gill on sight. Sunny and I are staying with you in order to keep an eye on Clay and Glory, and to detect incoming dragons at a distance."

"I guess that makes sense…"

"It's settled, then," Starflight decided. "Do you see that grove, up there on the cliff? We'll wait there. Good luck. If you're captured for some reason, we'll find a way to get you out. Clay, if you don't mind, I'll look through your eyes again every so often."

"It's fine with me. Glory?"

"Yeah, I need a sec." Glory's scales turned brown, amber and gold glinting in the cracks between her scales and along her underbelly. "Ok. Come on, Clay."

The two flew away, towards the marshes. The other four flew up to the grove and settled in to wait.

* * *

They sat in awkward silence for a while. Eventually, Tsunami and Gill started talking in hushed tones, and Sunny wandered over to sit by Starflight.

"So… we survived," Sunny said.

"We did. It was close, at one point, but we managed to get out alive, and save Kestrel and Gill as well." Starflight responded.

"What happened with him?"

"You know how his mind was broken and his body was in seriously bad shape?"

"Yeah. Torture?"

"Dehydration, for months on end. He went completely mad. I'm guessing that the water was really all that was keeping him from snapping and trying to kill us after we rescued him. He nearly killed Tsunami in the arena, but she managed to pin him. If I hadn't influenced the queen's thoughts at that moment, she would have had to kill him. The vision I had about Gill? That was a dragon who looked a lot like Tsunami, telling Tsunami that Gill **was** her father. That implies that the likeliest path was Gill's death."

"Wow. Wait, if Tsunami was stolen from the SeaWing royal hatchery, and Gill's her father, that makes him…"

"The king of the SeaWings."

"Then it's a good thing we saved him."

"Yes. I think I'll check up on Clay, it's been a little while."

"Sure."

Ignoring Gill and Tsunami - the latter seemed to be telling the former about herself - he reached out to Clay's mind.

"_I'm going to watch now._"

_Sure, go ahead_, was the distracted reply.

* * *

"_What happened?_"

_I found my mother, Cattail. Turns out that MudWing families aren't a thing. Everyone sticks with their own groups unless most of that group has been killed in battle, in which case they join another group. The groups - they call them sib troops - are led by the bigwings, who is always the largest. Cattail apparently sold my egg to the Talons of Peace in exchange for two cows._

"_That's rough. Heading back?_"

_Yeah… wait, something's happening!_

A village of mud houses. A burly SandWing was stamping his feet in the centre, trying to shake off the clinging mud.

"What?" he bellowed. "Speak up!"

Two MudWings were standing in front of him, and one of them raised his voice. "I said we haven't seen anyone like that."

"You sure?" said the SandWing. "There'll be four of them. A MudWing, a RainWing, a SeaWing, and a kind of SandWing-looking thing."

Starflight felt a flash of rage from Clay. The MudWing who spoke wrinkled his snout.

"No," he said. "I assure you we would have noticed a SeaWing, a RainWing, or a… 'SandWing-looking thing' strolling through our sleephouses."

The SandWing snorted, as though doubting that was true. "Well," he said, "if you do spot them, let Queen Burn know immediately."

Both MudWings bowed their heads politely. "Of course."

"We need to get out of here," Glory hissed from next to Clay.

"Agreed."

"Let's go around the village," Glory said, slithering toward the waving reeds. Almost at once, she sank into a pool of mud up to her belly. "Oh, **urrrrrgh**," she groaned.

Through Clay's eyes, Starflight noticed a snout poke out of the swamp nearby. The dragon gave them a suspicious look.

"Remember to act like a MudWing," he whispered, sliding into the mud beside her. "Oh, I needed that," he said louder.

"Yaaay," Glory said, completely unconvincingly. She floundered a few more steps into the reeds, spattering mud all over her wings. Clay checked the sky.

"We're clear. We can fly back to the others."

He wriggled out of the mud onto a dry island and hauled Glory up beside him. They both shook their wings to get the biggest clumps off, and then they leaped, quickly clearing the trees. Clay banked in the direction of the cliff. He was ready to leave the Mud Kingdom behind him forever.

"Hey!" a voice shouted behind them. "You, dragonets! Stop!"

* * *

Clay panicked.

"_Fly back. If you run, they'll know something's wrong._"

_Oh… of course._

Clay swung around and flew back toward the MudWing village and the voice that had called after them, Glory beside him.

Five dragons hovered in the sky, watching them intently. Wait… they looked familiar. It hit him. The vision, the one of the battle while it was still raging! Clay was surprised too.

_That dragon, the little one with the patch on his nose, he was staring at me just before we found Cattail._

"_I had a vision of the battle centered around them._"

The biggest of the five was slightly smaller than Clay, with warm golden-amber eyes and a recent claw-mark wound on his tail. The smallest was the dragon with the patch on his nose that had apparently been staring at Clay.

"Hey," Clay said, as nonthreatening and casual as he could manage. "We were just leaving."

The MudWing dragonets glanced at each other, and the biggest one said, "We heard you were asking about a blood egg from one of Cattail's hatchings."

"Yes…" Glory said.

The smallest MudWing couldn't contain himself. "Do you know what happened to it? Did it hatch? Who came out? Where's the dragonet?"

Glory poked Clay with her tail. "Who's asking?" she said.

"I'm Reed," said the biggest dragonet. "This is Sora, Pheasant, Marsh, and Umber." The small one, Umber, had his eyes fixed on Clay again, as the other three checked the sky nervously.

"I'm Clay, and this is Glory," Clay answered. Pheasant tilted her head at Glory.

"That's not a normal MudWing name."

_Oops._

"_I don't think there's harm done._"

"I didn't choose it," Glory said with a shrug that lifted her up and down in the air currents.

"Did one of you hatch from the blood egg?" Reed asked. "Are you our missing sib?"

"Sib!" Clay said suddenly. "Siblings! That's what everyone keeps talking about!" He launched himself at Reed and seized his front talons. "Is that what you mean? Were we in the same hatching?"

"I knew it!" Umber yelped. "I knew he seemed familiar! I told you so!" He bundled into Marsh, nearly knocking them both out of the air.

"You're our brother," Reed said, grinning madly. "You shoulda been with us all along."

"He's not just our brother," Pheasant pointed out. "Look at him. He should be our bigwings."

Reed's grin faded. "That's true."

Clay pointed to a clear island in the marshes. "C'mon, let's talk."

Clay's siblings couldn't believe how little he knew about MudWing life, Starflight dutifully memorizing the explanation they gave Clay. They told him that MudWings laid their eggs in warm mud nests protected by walls of hot rock, so safe that the mother never needed to check on them, and the dragonets usually hatched when she wasn't even there. The firstborn was always the biggest, and their first task was to help the other dragonets out of their eggs by cracking their shells from the outside.

As they came to this part of the explanation, Glory gasped. "That's what it was!" she said. "When we hatched - the guardians knew nothing about MudWings, so they thought you were attacking us. But you were trying to help. Clay, you know what this means? You weren't trying to kill us at all."

"_I told you there was no malice in you. That it was only instinct. Looks like I was right._"

"So from then on, the bigwings takes care of all the others," Pheasant said, nudging Reed affectionately. "Some of them can be too bossy or too weak, but we got a good one." She stopped, realizing what she'd said. "I mean… you would have been good, too, I'm sure…."

"Me? No. I'm hardly a leader… nevermind. A story for another day."

"_That's not true. I may have made the plans, but why do you think I trusted you to execute it? I saw everything in my visions after I was taken out of the arena. You executed your part in the plan, got the high-risk prisoner out safely, and made sure the others knew what needed to be done. I could have asked Sunny to escape and get you guys out. I didn't know what would happen at the time. The adaptation to circumstances? The quick reaction that enabled you to get out without being followed too closely? That was all __**you**__._"

"And then we all stick together," Reed said. "Always. We learn to hunt and survive together, we grow up together, and we live together for the rest of our lives. When we're at war, we all fight as a group. Every MudWing troop is a hatching of siblings. Except for the ones who've lost too many, and then they try to find unsibs to form a new troop with."

Pheasant glanced at the others as if she would rather die than replace them with unsibs.

"How many have you - have we lost?"

"Two," said Reed. "You, and our sister Crane, two days ago in the battle by the cliff."

"_I saw that,_" Starflight projected softly. "_Reed did the best he could, an IceWing was rushing them after they'd attacked her unit. Reed ordered them to scatter, and they did, but the IceWing followed Crane down. The IceWing… she slit Crane's throat and flew away, grinning at the others. When this war is over, I should tell him. He did what he could, and he got the rest out safely._"

"That was our first battle," Sora said softly.

"It was awful," Umber added.

Reed sighed sadly. "I was not the bigwings I wanted to be."

"You were!" the others protested. "You were amazing, Reed," Pheasant said firmly.

"We'd **all** be dead if it weren't for you," Marsh agreed. They all had the same expression looking at Reed - total, unconditional trust. Faith that come what may, their bigwings would be there for them.

"But it's all right now, because you're back, and you should be our bigwings." He glanced at Clay, and in his amber eyes Clay, and consequently Starflight, could see all the worries they'd felt themselves… fear for their friends, the things they did and would do to protect them, the ferocity of how much they cared.

Clay cared about his sibs, too, though they'd only just met, but he realized something important. Something… ghastly.

If he stayed, it would tear them apart.

He could see it in their eyes - they wanted him and they feared him. If he became their bigwings, what would happen to their loyalty to Reed? To Reed himself, forced to follow him but desperate to protect them his own way?

Clay didn't know anything about MudWing life, not truly. He didn't know troop formations, or even how to hunt in a swamp. How then could he lead them into battle? No matter how hard they tried, it would never be like the closeness they had with Reed.

The only way to protect his siblings was to not protect them. Wow, confusing, but if he wanted them safe, he would have to leave Reed as their bigwings, the way he'd always been. He could keep them safe better than Clay ever could, and it would prevent the others from having to choose. Glory was looking at him, too.

"No," he said to his brothers and sisters. "Reed is your bigwings. You trust him and you need him. I couldn't replace him, even if I tried."

Reed raised his head, pride warring with disbelief on his face. The other dragonets looked relieved, yet sad.

"Besides," Glory said. "He can't stay with you. He's **our** bigwings." She brushed Clay's wings with hers, and Clay's embarrassment was overpowering.

"_Yeah, that sounds about right. You are irreplaceable. As is Sunny, and Glory, and Tsunami, and me. We'll need all of us to end this war and get out alive afterwards._"

_And yet you don't really need me. All I bring to the team is fire resistance, and Sunny could manage that easy enough. Tsunami and Sunny are both more skilled than I am, and Tsunami's a bit stronger, too. You see things none of us can, both metaphorically and literally. Glory is the ultimate spy and assassin, and I'm just… me._

"_You are just you, as I am just me. We are all nothing more than ourselves. You sell yourself short, Clay. Do you think any of us would have been able to convince Peril to betray Queen Scarlet so easily? You have a way with other dragons. You're likeable, in a way that of the five of us, only you and Sunny can manage, but you are actually taken seriously._"

_**We**_ _take Sunny seriously… _

"_And we, and now Gill, are the only ones who know that she can turn a dragon inside out with the same effort that another dragon could catch a confined sheep. We and Gill are the only ones who know that she can see what you're doing before you think of doing it, and read your mind at great distance. Everyone else sees only an odd, what did that SandWing say? SandWing-looking thing._"

"Are you sure?" Reed asked Clay. "You could still join us, bigwings or not. There's more fighting ahead, and we could always use another strong dragon at our side."

_Tempting… but why fight in the war when you can end it, once and for all?_

"_Well said… thought, anyway._"

"I'm afraid I have a destiny," he said ruefully. "We need to stop the war."

Umber's eyes went wide. "Like the prophecy?" he breathed. "That's **you**?"

Pheasant looked at Glory doubtfully.

"That's us," Clay said, touching Glory's talon.

"Apparently," Glory added. "More or less."

"More for your inclusion, I think. We'll try our best," Clay said. "But maybe after that, when the war is over… maybe then I could come back?"

"You're one of us," Reed said. "You can come back anytime."

"I hope you do," Umber added. The others nodded.

Clay looked from face to face, wondering how many would survive the next battle. Starflight wondered how many would survive the war.

"Please… don't die," Clay said, and took off. Starflight withdrew from Clay's mind.

* * *

"-tarflight! STARFLIGHT!" Sunny was shouting.

"I'm back, I'm back," Starflight said quickly.

"Finally! You were out for a lot longer than it should take to check on Clay and Glory. What happened?"

"I was about to come back, but Clay found his family. The parents are apparently not involved in the lives of MudWings, but his siblings tracked him down."

"Huh. There's something you're not telling me."

Starflight sighed. "You're right. I had a vision involving them, all six of them, after Morrowseer took me out. It explained why when Clay met them, there were only five."

Sunny gasped. "Oh no…"

"Yes. Also, they're looking for us, so as soon as Clay and Glory get back, we need to get moving."

"Vision or Clay?"

"Clay saw a SandWing give descriptions of us to the MudWings, and he told them to tell Burn if they found us."

"Ok… they'll probably be here in a couple minutes," Sunny concluded.

Starflight walked over to Tsunami and Gill, who seemed to be talking about the time they figured out Sunny had Animus magic.

"We need to leave soon. The MudWings are going to be looking for us, so we're just waiting for Clay and Glory."

"Got it," Gill said.

Sure enough, Clay and Glory arrived quickly, and the six dragons took to the sky.

"Gill, I think you should lead. You know the area, don't you?" Starflight said.

"Of course. We'll stop by a beach, then continue to the sea. Does that sound good?"

"The world probably won't end because we stop at a beach," Starflight commented dryly. "Clay, want to tell everyone what happened on our way to the beach? I didn't have the time."

"Sure!" Clay started on an explanation of what he'd learned in the Mud Kingdom. When he got to the part about the eggs, Tsunami spoke up.

"Of course. I never thought you **were** trying to kill us."

"As if you would ever! Honestly, sensing your mind when the guardians dragged you away, seems you thought we were gonna die without you." Sunny chipped in.

"Wait, you remember that night too?" Clay asked in disbelief.

"Yeah… it was kind of a big day, you know, us hatching and all? It was quite memorable."

"Glory, Tsunami, do you two think it's a coincidence that the only two dragons here with weird powers are the only ones that remember our hatching day?"

"Nope!" Glory and Tsunami chorused.

They flew in silence a few minutes before Starflight recalled something.

"Gill?"

"Yes?"

"Is Tsunami still the only heir to the SeaWing throne?"

"As it happens, no. Tsunami, you have a younger sister, Anemone. She hatched about a year ago."

"Well, good to know Clay's not the only one with siblings, I guess." Tsunami said, Starflight withdrawing from the conversation.

"Well… there's also the thirty-two brothers."

"WHAT!"

"Apart from you and Anemone, all the princesses ended up with shattered eggs. You and Anemone are the only ones that survived long enough to hatch."

"What killed my sisters?"

"We don't know. We've taken to posting guards in the hatchery, but it's not a perfect solution. Anemone survived because Coral stayed with her, day and night, no matter what. You survived because Webs stole you from the hatchery."

"So it has something to do with the hatchery, and the presence of other dragons seems to prevent it, and it spares princes?"

"Yes."

"Sounds like a curse to me." Tsunami concluded.

"But what could the curse be?"

"I dunno. How long has this been going on?"

"A while. There was one other princess - Orca. She challenged Coral when she was seven years old, and almost won. After her, our second daughter's egg was smashed. As was that of our third daughter, and so on, your egg being stolen in the interim, and last year, Anemone survived."

"Could she have been an Animus dragon?"

"No, we have a ceremony to determine the presence of magic. The Talons of Power ceremony. The dragonets try to enchant something, and if they succeed, we know they have magic."

"Yeah, we read about that ceremony… we used a variation to find that Sunny had magic. But could she have cheated the test?"

"I don't think so. It's administered at a young age, and if she had magic, why wouldn't she use it in her challenge?"

"How close was the fight?"

"Orca nearly won, and was about to kill Coral, when Coral speared her with a narwhal horn she has attached to her tail. I think it was actually accidental, but Orca died."

"Perhaps… but no. If I were Orca, I'd want to make sure of my victory."

* * *

Wind howled around the small rocky island with the force of a thousand screaming dragons. It battered at the two on the cliff as if trying to tear off their wings.

One dragon was black as night, and the other as pale as sand. They made an interesting picture, next to each other, on a cliff on a small island in a violent sea.

"She didn't show up, Morrowseer!" shouted the pale one over the wind.

"I actually thought she would, Blister. I told my messenger to tell her that the dragonets were in danger… it seems that she cares even less for them than I thought."

"Or she saw the intent behind the message. We can't rule that out."

"I think we can. She knows me as a major member of the Talons of Peace, and she showed no sign of hostility when I last met her. Nor did Webs and Dune."

"Do we know what happened to **them**?"

"Webs is being tracked by Nautilus, at my prompting, and we should be receiving news of his death soon. Dune… we don't know. I could ask Stonemover, but he never liked me."

"Stonemover?"

"You may have heard of him… the dragon of Jade Mountain. He's an Animus dragon who used to work on projects for the NightWings, but he vanished. Some time later, he turned up at Jade Mountain. We've considered retrieving him, but it is… unwise to anger an Animus dragon."

"So what you're saying is, two of the three dragons who could present a security risk to our backup plan are off the grid, and the third is being ambushed right now?"

"Yes."

Blister sighed. "Nothing to do but increase security on the backup plan, then. Make sure nobody outside the plan who knows about the plan remains alive to spread the knowledge. Where do you think the dragonets will go next?"

"I know they went to the Mud Kingdom. Logically, that means that they'll go either to the rainforest or to the sea. If they're planning to track down their own origins like I think they are, they'll go to the sea. The NightWing, Starflight, is making the decisions. I told him to convince the others to choose you, then brought him to the point he designated because he said that that's where he said to go if the others escaped on their own. He was right, annoyingly enough, but that told me two things. He's smart, so since he's making the decisions, that means he'll bring them to the sea, especially since they liberated a SeaWing prisoner from the arena. And more importantly, he knows how to use that intelligence. He formulated and communicated a plan to four other dragons, two of which were held separately and who he only saw once or twice, and designed it in such a way that the other four could enact the plan even without him, and liberate another prisoner in the process. That makes him dangerous."

"So kill him, if he's such a threat."

"He's cooperative. Made no argument when I told him the NightWings chose a side. He could be our greatest asset. And we don't kill our own lightly, there are few enough of us as is."

"Or he could be our worst enemy."

"On the other hand, our backup plan is even more of a disappointment than our first plan. A delusional NightWing, a weakling SeaWing, a gluttonous MudWing… the SandWing and the SkyWing are the only ones who show any promise. And even though they fit the prophecy, Starflight would not take kindly to the… removal of the runty SandWing and the RainWing."

"What's this about a RainWing?"

"The Talons lost the original SkyWing, so Webs took matters into his own talons. He stole a RainWing egg and substituted that in. I may be underestimating her though… one of my spies thinks she did something to Scarlet. Whatever that was, it injured her badly enough that she fled. Ruby's consolidating power now."

"Ruby likely won't support Burn as earnestly as her mother did… interesting! This could be just what I need to secure an advantage over Burn, ever since the MudWings betrayed me… what of the runty SandWing?"

"Nothing special about her whatsoever, other than the fact that she's unusually small, oddly coloured, being somewhat golden, and being skilled in combat. She got past my guard when I tested her, the MudWing, and the SeaWing, but that's about it. Just a runt who's good at fighting."

"She probably won't factor into the plans. Make sure you find the dragonets, Morrowseer, and if you don't, you need to bring in the backup plan. They may be useless, but they'll sow confusion among my enemies, and that will give me an opportunity to win the war the conventional way."

"A good plan. Good luck then, and I'll get things done on my end."

"And I on mine."


	10. Interlude - Peripheral

**Apollo: We're back! About a week later than we hoped, but still! I both love and hate this chapter. It's interesting, but it seems subtly wrong to me... Artemis and Hermes say it's fine, though. Turtle seems to have become my avatar in-universe. **

**Hermes: I don't wanna talk, I'm tired! I just want a nap! **

**Artemis: Awwwww, the poor baby! I swear, we're 90% sure he's actually a two-year-old. **

**Hermes: I am not! **

**Artemis: Yes you are! **

**Apollo: ENOUGH! **

**Hermes: Oh my gawds, calm down! **

**Artemis: Maybe we should talk about our new fics? Just to explain to the readers? **

**Apollo: Sure! We're writing a PJO fic called White Pine, centering on Dryad!Thalia and how a smarter Poseidon impacts the story. Beyond that, a pair of Star Wars fics intended as direct counterparts to each other. In the White Light and Embrace the Dark, both identical starting at the Season 2 finale of Star Wars Rebels and diverging from there. The names are intended to be Fire Emblem references, as we view canon as the Revelations path. How about we answer the 3 reviews we got this chapter? **

**Artemis: Ok, in order of who reviewed first, to the first Guest... MWAHAHAHAHA! Yes we did! I'm so glad someone caught it. To SwaggyPirateDragon, you've received our reply, to Blackberry Avar... well. Thanks for the review, probably the largest we've got. We're glad you like it so far, and if you feel like your friend would like it, we welcome more readers. To the final Guest, thanks! We hope you continue to enjoy it. **

**Apollo: I'd just like to note that we've hit the top 20 in the category of followers! Thanks guys! **

**Hermes: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS! **

**Apollo: To conclude this AN, we don't own Wings of Fire and have posted a blanket disclaimer on our profile. **

* * *

**Turtle** swam down the corridor in the Deep Palace. He was on his way to find his mother, the queen, to ask for advice on his dream - to be an author. As he poked his head inside the room, he could see Queen Coral speaking to Anemone.

"How about this? The army causes a distraction, while a small team equipped with Animus-touched gear sneaks in and frees Gill."

"Does the plan HAVE to involve magic? I don't want to go mad…"

"It won't work any other way. Scarlet's guards are too numerous, and she can recall the army within hours. If we get caught, the palace guards can delay us long enough for the army to arrive and defeat us. Maybe we need another opinion… ah! Tortoise… no, Turtle. Come in! We're discussing how to get your father back."

"Mother. Wouldn't Uncle be better at devising a plan to free father?" Turtle asked.

"No, he's too conventional. He wanted to attack during Scarlet's hatching day celebration, but we knew that Burn would be there. She and her guards would have been far too dangerous."

"Do we even know where father is kept?"

"The most secure dungeons Scarlet has. He hasn't been seen for a while, but my spies tell me he's still alive."

"I don't think it can be done, mother. Queen Scarlet has that champion, Peril, I think. No matter how many of us attack, we physically can't harm her."

"Hence the need for Animus magic. Do you think it can be done that way?"

At this, Anemone broke in.

"Oh, not more Animus magic! Do you know how much sleep I lose worrying that I'm going mad and whether I'd even know? Three moons, I'm only two years old!"

"Watch your language, Anemone, that's wholly unbefitting of a princess of the realm. And you're not going mad."

"How would you know? How would any of us know? The first you'd know of it is when I snapped and started killing everyone! The first story involving magic I heard was Albatross' massacre!"

Turtle winced, causing his mother and sister to look at him strangely.

"What's wrong?" asked Anemone.

"Nothing…"

"We're not getting anywhere. It's late, we'll get back to this tomorrow. Turtle, I assume you were looking for me?"

"Yes, mother. I need advice on writing."

Queen Coral perked up.

"Oh, good, at least one of my children want to follow my path. What do you need help with?"

"Well, mother, Fin DOES want to be a cartographer, that isn't far off… but anyway, I need advice on writing a compelling villain."

"Why would you need that? If you have good enough heroes, anything else is irrelevant."

"But if the heroes have no competition, it's no fun to read."

"Good, you understand that. You need to make the villains intelligent. They must be capable of outwitting the heroes in some way. A good method is to make them a twisted mirror of the protagonist…"

As the queen waxed lyrical about proper villains, Turtle couldn't help but think that everyone is the hero of their own story. But should he write a sympathetic villain who can make a convincing case for the heroes being the real villains? Or an unrepentantly evil character who must be stopped, and was equal to the heroes? Whatever. He could just write both.

* * *

**Kinkajou** was distressed. In the last ten minutes, she had been knocked unconscious, kidnapped by two bulky NightWings, waking up halfway through being bundled down a strange tunnel on the forest floor, and now she stood, breathing smoky air, on a volcano that was most definitely NOT the rainforest.

"W-where am I? Why did you take me here?"

"Oh, shut up," growled the NightWing to her left.

"Don't worry, Strongwings, we don't have to deal with her much longer," placated the NightWing on her right.

The NightWings brought her into a fortress built at the side of the volcano, to a door.

"What is this? Why am I here? What are you gonna do to me?" Kinkajou wailed, her scales turning pale green and white.

Strongwings cuffed her harshly. "Didn't I tell ya to shut up?"

The right-talon NightWing cuffed the other guard. "Don't harm the prisoner! Mastermind still needs her!"

"Then let's bring her in already."

The guards pushed open the door, revealing a surprisingly clean and well-lit room. They were standing on a balcony. There was a level above them and a level below, and a criss-crossing network of strange pipes stretching in front of them. A whip-thin NightWing was waiting for them on the balcony, wearing a rather odd helmet.

"My latest test subject, I assume?"

"Yes, Mastermind," Strongwings said.

"Excellent. Strongwings, Preyhunter, you may both leave."

The guards left, leaving Kinkajou alone with Mastermind.

"So, young one. Welcome to the labs! Will you be cooperative for the testing?"

"What are you going to do to me?" Kinkajou whimpered.

"Nothing invasive. I'm just going to need some of your venom. Let's start with wood. If you could spray some on this log?"

"I guess…" Kinkajou whispered. She sprayed a little venom on the log. It started to dissolve, but very slowly. Mastermind's face was unreadable behind his mask.

"I wonder…" Mastermind said. Then, before Kinkajou could stop him, he jabbed a talon at one of the spots of venom. Withdrawing the talon after a few seconds, he looked. There was very little damage.

"Too weak for conclusive results. I suppose I'll just have to put you with the others and await my next test subject."

He removed his mask, revealing a pockmarked snout and bloodshot eyes, and led her down more tunnels to a lava river, where he shoved her in a cell. He left, and Kinkajou could hear him say something to another NightWings.

"No need to gag her, her venom's extremely weak. I held a talon in it for several seconds - it barely tingled."

She looked around. The cave was nondescript, but at the back, she could see a steep drop, a pitch-black abyss. She carefully walked towards it… started down the drop… and slipped, falling to the bottom, letting out a cry of pain. She looked around. Dimly lit by the lava above, she could see a corridor. She had fallen from a steep slope, and she could see more such slopes along the corridor. She decided to climb up a slope. She did so, and she found a fellow RainWing.

"OHMYGOSH! Gibbon, is that you?"

Gibbon's scales shifted colour from a muted blue-grey to a neutral blue.

"You're… curious? But why aren't you talking?"

Gibbon gestured to his mouth, where Kinkajou could see a gag.

"Oh… let me just get that off."

But no matter how Kinkajou tried, nothing worked. The gag stayed on as if taunting her.

"I'm sorry, I can't undo it."

Gibbon's scales turned orange, and in some places brown.

"You're frustrated? And stressed?"

Gibbon nodded.

"So do you know any way out of here?"

His scales became dark grey.

"No? No way out?"

Gibbon nodded again.

"That's no good. Still, we gotta stay positive, right? Someone's gotta notice we're gone sooner or later."

Gibbon's scales shifted to indigo, shot through with black.

* * *

**Winter** was bored. Icicle had been allowed to fight in the battle that Princess Blaze had ordered at the Diamond Spray Delta, but he had been forced to remain behind. He was in his chambers when Icicle walked in.

"Winter."

"Icicle. Any reason you are here?"

Icicle was as sparkling as always. Winter found it rather tiresome. How had she had time to dive into the ocean if she just returned from the battle? It must have ended unusually quickly.

"I simply wished to speak about the battle. It was… inconclusive."

"How so?"

"The mud-crawlers were ready for us. Heavy casualties on both sides. I did make a kill, though."

"Hm?"

"As we were retreating, an enemy troop started harassing us. I was able to catch and kill one of them. You have NO idea how good it feels, having the power of life and death over another…"

Winter had impeccable self-control at the worst of times, but even he nearly shuddered. Why did Icicle have to be so bloodthirsty?

"Did you just come here to gloat, sister?"

"No," Icicle admitted, seeming to deflate a little. "I've spoken to father. Next time we invade somewhere, you can come along. You may not be as skilled as I am, but you ARE my brother, and Hailstorm's the only one I'd prefer over you to watch my back."

Even Winter couldn't hide a grimace. It was, after all, his fault that Hailstorm had been captured by the SkyWings while out looking for scavenger dens.

"That's… unusual for you. Usually you're much more boastful and confident."

"I got a sense of how dangerous battles can be. I made it out unharmed, but one of my soldiers wasn't so lucky. Blood everywhere." Icicle seemed to cheer up. "But you look more dangerous than me!"

"So, in short, you just want me as a shield. Glad to know you care."

"Winter, you know we can't afford to care. Attachment is weakness, and weakness is punished."

"Indeed it is… don't you ever wonder what life would be like if we didn't have the rankings to worry about?"

"Chaos," Icicle answered bluntly. "The rankings give us order. We'd be no better than savages if not for that order."

"We would be free. Free to choose who to love, what to do… never worrying that any little mistake could ruin our whole future… there is a certain beauty in chaos," Winter rebutted.

"But is that beauty worth the problems? The rankings are our way of life, and they've worked for over two thousand years. The occasional hiccup in the system does not invalidate its successes."

"I suppose we must agree to disagree, then. I'll watch your back if you watch mine. Let's just try to get through this war alive…"

* * *

**Peril** flew in to land at Jade Mountain, arriving at a convenient cave. Suddenly, a voice growled from within the cave.

"Who goes there?"

Peril's head whipped around, and she saw a scarred SandWing, missing a foot and with a tattered wing, tail arched above his head.

"I am Peril, of the SkyWings."

"And why would Scarlet's champion be all the way out here?" asked the SandWing, not backing down from his pose.

"I'm no longer her champion, and I don't think she's still alive. You know any attack you try will just kill you, right?" Peril asked, completely relaxed.

"My agonized screaming will alert the dragon of Jade Mountain… I'm living on stolen time as is. Why are you here?" asked the dragon, finally relaxing slightly.

"The dragon of Jade Mountain?"

"An Animus dragon. He'll turn you inside out if you threaten him, and let's just leave it at that. Now, why are you here?"

"Because I was given options and I chose to wait here."

The SandWing's gaze sharpened. "Who gave you the options?"

"A NightWing by the name of Starflight."

The SandWing finally relaxed completely. "Then you'd best come in. I'm Dune, and Starflight told me to wait here as well."

The unlikely pair walked into the cave, and Dune called out.

"Stonemover, we've got company!"

"Who…" came the rumbling reply. Peril looked and recoiled in shock. On the floor lay a NightWing, with scales that seemed to be sinking into his body. Those scales seemed an awful lot like rock…

"Peril. Former champion of Queen Scarlet, sent here by Starflight."

"Oh, him? Again?"

"Don't look at me, I don't know what he's planning! Peril?"

"I don't know, either. He and the other dragonets are going to the Mud Kingdom, then to the sea and the rainforest. I had the option to go with my mother to Possibility, to tag along with the dragonets, or to wait here for them to arrive."

"Your mother?" asked Dune.

"Kestrel. Do you know her?"

"Know her? I was stuck under a mountain for six years with her!"

"Well, anyway, I'm just waiting here. Stonemover, is it? Why do you look like your scales are made of rock?"

"This explanation… again. I'm an Animus dragon… cursed myself. Magic turns my scales to stone… instead of corrupting my soul. Been here a bit over six years."

"Why?"

"Want me to answer?" Dune asked. Stonemover slowly nodded. "Well, he used to hang around the Scorpion Den all the time, but one day he vanished. Says he came here and cursed himself for fear of snapping and killing everyone he held dear. Does that cover it?"

Stonemover nodded again.

"So, what happened? All I know is that they were captured."

"They were brought to the palace and split up. Sunny - rather rude, her first words upon being freed from her cage were a criticism of my technique - was placed over the feast hall in a birdcage, Glory was chained to a marble tree, and the others were imprisoned over the arena. I met Clay, one thing led to another, and suddenly Glory melts Queen Scarlet's face and we're escaping. We got out quickly enough that they couldn't follow us, and we split. Kestrel went to Possibility, I went here, and the others, plus another former prisoner, SeaWing named Gill, no idea what's up with his rescue, went on to the Mud and Sea kingdoms."

"Wait, the dragonets freed an extra prisoner?"

"Yeah. Raving mad, fought Tsunami and lost horribly, but was spared for some reason by the queen. Apparently, Starflight ordered his freedom."

"He's planning something. He set up the capture so that I escaped with Webs, you got Kestrel out, and Queen Scarlet is likely dead. He has managed, in the space of a week, to presumably throw the Sky Kingdom into chaos and weaken Burn's alliance, which I can't really complain about given that she ruined my wing."

"Why? Were you her enemy?"

"I was a soldier fighting FOR her. One of my friends displeased her, and she punished him by ensuring that my injuries were permanent. I'd been hit with frostbreath, but the doctors said my wing and foot would recover."

"No wonder you defected…"

* * *

**Secretkeeper** felt apprehensive. Since Morrowseer had nearly emptied the volcano for his stunt at the SkyWing arena, she had known that the plan was in motion. However, years before, when she learned about the plan, she at least had the sense to realize that the planned invasion could go either way. Certainly, the RainWings were weak and quite stupid, as evidenced by the lack of searching for the RainWings kidnapped from the rainforest, but they were well fed and knew the forest better than any other tribe, in addition to being able to conceal themselves anywhere. The NightWings were half-starved, or in some cases just starved, and Mastermind's prototypes were just that - prototypes. Only a few existed, and they were not yet perfected. When she learned that she was with egg, she knew she could not allow her dragonet to be used as a pawn in Morrowseer's game, or to grow up on the volcano amid the fire, the smoke, and the misery. And so she hatched a plan - she would sneak away from the island with her egg, an egg that not even Morrowseer knew existed, and she would hide it in the rainforest, out of the way of the invasion and possible counter-invasion. That was three years ago. Now, she left the island when she could, visiting Moonwatcher in the rainforest. Her perfect little moon bud, who could read minds and see the future when no dragon in the tribe had been able to in almost two thousand years. Finally, she arrived at the mouth of the tunnel.

"Another hunting trip, Secretkeeper?" asked Preyhunter. She had been using that excuse for three years now, and always brought back prey to keep her cover.

"Yeah."

She hurried down the tunnel. Moonwatcher was her greatest secret, and not even Farsight knew about her, back before she got herself killed trying to help that SeaWing. Really, what was she thinking? The SeaWing was injured, the SkyWings were not, and she was not trained for combat!

"Mom?"

Moonwatcher had found her, as usual. It helped that she could sense her mind the moment she came out of the tunnel.

"You remained hidden?"

"Yes, mom. Stay secret, stay hidden, stay safe."

"Good. How have you been, my little moon bud?"

_My weird little diamond…_

"I'm not a weird little diamond… I've been fine. Caught some sloths, found fruit that wasn't poisonous… basically as usual."

"Good, good… I don't know how long I can keep this up. This sneaking back and forth, this secret-keeping…"

"Don't worry, mom, you won't have to do it much longer."

"A vision?"

"A feeling. Can you tell me a story?"

"What kind of story?"

"A scary one."

"I know just the one. Do you want to hear the story of the Darkstalker?"

"Yes, mom."

"Once upon a time, a couple thousand years ago, there lived a great and terrible dragon. He could read minds and see the future, and he was an Animus dragon. He was known as the Darkstalker."

"Why as 'the' Darkstalker? Could Darkstalker have been his name?"

"Probably not. The general agreement is that Darkstalker is too creepy a name to give to a dragonet. Only a few dragons think that Darkstalker is a name of justice rather than evil."

"Justice?"

"They think that Darkstalker is meant as the dragonet stalking the darkness, rather than being a dark stalker."

"Oh. Can you keep going?"

"He grew up, and when he was around your age, he befriended a great seer named Clearsight. It is said that she could map out all futures decades in advance and that the full extent of her Sight spanned centuries, and possibly millennia. It is entirely possible that she Saw me telling you this story, though unlikely."

"Wow…"

"The SeaWings heard about an Animus dragon within the NightWing tribe, and so they sent half of the royal family to guide him, to ensure that he did not fall to madness as the SeaWing Animus Albatross did. Albatross had recently gone mad and slaughtered the royal family, the only survivors being his grandson and granddaughter, Queen Pearl and the Animus Fathom. So Fathom went to befriend the Darkstalker, having sworn an oath to his sister that he would never cast another spell. The three, Clearsight, Fathom, and the Darkstalker, were said to have been great friends, and the Darkstalker crafted many objects of power. The most important of these objects were his soul-reader, meant as a security measure to assure Fathom that he wasn't evil, and the dreamvisitors, which allowed the holder to stalk another's dreams. We still have one, the one said to belong to the Darkstalker himself, and the other two are lost to time. Legend has it that he cursed an entire mountain range to kill any dragon who wasn't a NightWing and tried to cross it and that he forced a hundred IceWings to fly into the sea. His madness grew until one day, Clearsight determined that he must be stopped, no matter how much she loved him."

"Is this a love story?"

"Of a sort. Though Clearsight loved the Darkstalker, she saw that he must be stopped before he led Pyrrhia to ruin. It is said that when his father displeased him, the Darkstalker forced him to rip out his tongue, pull out his teeth one by one, rip off one of his legs, and finally, disembowel himself, all on a stage in public for all the NightWings to see. The Darkstalker had a single weakness - he was blinded by his love for Clearsight and did not believe that she would turn against him. No one is quite sure what happened - the Darkstalker claimed that he had found a way to become immortal, and it is said that Fathom broke his oath, just once, to enchant an item of terrible power to defeat his friend. The only thing we know for sure by now is that Clearsight flew west the day the Darkstalker vanished, never to be seen again."

Moonwatcher didn't move.

"Moonwatcher? Moon bud, are you alright?"

Moonwatcher blinked.

"I had a vision, mom."

"What was it?"

"I think - it must have been of the past. Two NightWings and a SeaWing, with the names Clearsight, Fathom, and Darkstalker. That must have been his actual name… they were talking with two other NightWings, Thoughtful and Listener, and an IceWing-looking dragon called Whiteout. They seemed friendly until some other dragon bolted in and stabbed Darkstalker… the vision ended there."

"That must have been from before he went mad… and you can apparently see the past. Good to know! I need to go now if I don't want to be followed, so good luck, my little moon bud. I'll see you in a few days. You know what to do?"

"Stay secret, stay hidden, stay safe."

* * *

**Qibli** was anxious. Thorn had been in a foul mood ever since she heard of what happened in the Sky Kingdom, what with Morrowseer being spotted, and while she was quite good about not taking her rage out on her subordinates, accidents happen. He had the task of bringing Thorn reports about the condition of the Scorpion Den this week, and Thorn had been screaming, ranting, and cursing Morrowseer's ancestors and general existence for nearly a day. The Scorpion Den may be somewhat remote, but information travels fast, and it had taken less than a day for one of Burn's soldiers to gossip to his comrades. From there, it was only a few hours before Thorn got the information from a dragon in Burn's stronghold who sympathized with Thorn's efforts to bring law to the Scorpion Den. Six-Claws met him going in the other direction.

"Good luck, kid… it'll be fine."

"Thanks, Six-Claws."

He came to Thorn's tent, hesitating at the entrance. Thorn would never hurt him, or any Outclaw under her command… right? She saved him from his mother, she enforced order on a wretched hive of scum and villainy. No matter how angry she was, she would never hurt them…

"Who is it?" called a voice from inside the tent. It was Thorn. She must have seen his shadow on the tent wall.

"It's me, Qibli! I have the reports. May I enter?"

"Go ahead!"

No time to second-guess himself. Qibli lifted the tent flap and ducked inside. The tent was empty, save for Thorn, sitting on her dais. Her odd moonstone pendant glimmered in the light.

"Here are the reports. Is there anything else?"

"Come with me, Qibli." Thorn's voice was hard, brittle, and tolerated no protest. Qibli meekly followed her into the back room of the tent. He took a look around. Few Outclaws had cause to come here, and it was an interesting sight. After all, you could learn a surprising amount about a dragon by how they decorated their space, and how they adorned themselves. Thorn wore no more jewelry than the average Outclaw, restricting herself to a single ornate bracelet and her pendant, and the back room was, as always, austere. It showed her humility despite her lofty position, and it was just one of the many reasons Qibli would follow her anywhere. However…

"There weren't that many holes in Morrowseer's picture last time… should I be worried?" Qibli asked, only partly joking.

"No, I've gotten over it. Mostly. Do you know what happened?"

"All I know is that the Sky Kingdom is in chaos. Rumor has it that the queen is dead and that the NightWings made an appearance that day."

"The queen is not dead, from what I hear, but the NightWings were there. Morrowseer spoke to the queen personally, and… and the dragonets of destiny had been captured a few days prior. They had something to do with the queen's incapacitation." Thorn sounded clinical, detached. This wasn't good, it usually signified that she very much wanted to burn something.

"**Hidden alone from the rival queens, the SandWing egg awaits unseen.**" quoted Qibli. He was one of the few dragons who knew the whole story about Dune's betrayal, though the posters were all over the place.

Thorn ducked her head, and Qibli could see her weeping. "Exactly! My daughter, my little Beetle, captured by SCARLET of all dragons! What was Dune thinking!" Thorn shouted.

"It might not have been Dune. I don't think anyone related to you would be content to sit back and hide forever."

"Just like anyone related to me wouldn't be so frog-brained as to get captured by the cruelest dragon in Pyrrhia!"  
"On the contrary, that's the perfect thing to do. She wouldn't execute the dragonets privately. She's smart enough to know that no one would believe it was the real dragonets. She would do it in public, and that's the perfect time to demonstrate their power. You said it yourself, the dragonets had something to do with the fall of Queen Scarlet. What if it was all planned?"

"That's even worse! That would mean that my daughter placed herself in harm's way, willingly, on some ploy involving the personality of a dragon she's never met!"

"Except that one of the other dragonets is a NightWing. Don't they have those weird powers? The NightWing would be able to see how it would go long before it happened."

"And that would mean that she was put in danger by a dragon she's meant to be working with to end a twenty-year war," Thorn remarked dryly.

"And if the plan worked as it was supposed to, that would mean that Pyrrhia is in safe talons."

"We need to go find her."

"Whoa whoa whoa. No. We absolutely CANNOT do that. At the very least, you can't go."

"And why can't we? I have things under control here, why can't we take a few days and find her."

"A few reasons. First, we don't know where to look. For all we know, they could be in the Bay of a Thousand Scales, and that would take months to search. In fact, they're probably there. They wouldn't stay in the Sky Kingdom if they had any brains, and the Ice Kingdom is too hostile to anyone who isn't an IceWing. The Mud Kingdom is under Burn's control, so that leaves the Sand Kingdom, the rainforest, or the bay. Here's too risky, the rainforest is too mysterious, and one of the dragonets is a SeaWing. Second, you can't go because in essence, you ARE the Scorpion Den. Your presence keeps things running smoothly, and if you leave, even for a few days, we risk things… things like… Vulture taking over."

"No way. He can't do it in a few days. Weeks, at least."

"Thorn. He could do it in two days. You don't know him like I do… especially with… her."

"She probably wouldn't."

"If she thought she could profit from it, she would. And as we both know, she's very good at what she does."

"I still think Armadillo could handle the Scorpion Den for a week."

"Not worth the risk. If I were the dragonets, I'd be hiding out from EVERYONE. But we know that they're fated to end the war. If we keep an eye out, we'll probably find them as they enter the Sand Kingdom. After all, Burn's stronghold is central to the war. If they want to declare their choice, they'll do it where all the world can hear. The SeaWings are too reclusive, as are the IceWings, the RainWings and NightWings are uninvolved, the SkyWings are too much of a risk, so that leaves the MudWings and the SandWings. Either they convince Queen Moorhen to spread the word, or they call a meeting, convince anyone relevant to show up, and have the meeting be at Burn's stronghold."

"I guess you're right. Still, this upsets the balance of the war… we need to be ready for more refugees. Blister and Blaze may try to capitalize on Burn's new weakness."

"Balance?"

"For most of the last twelve years, the war has been finding a strange sort of balance. Burn was stronger than the other two, so Blister and Blaze allied with the understanding that they may hate each other, but if they fight each other Burn will just pick up the pieces. A series of massive errors on Blaze's part have been countered by brilliant tactical moves by Blister. I think Blister may have been keeping the continent in balance in the hope of convincing the dragonets to choose her… moons know Blaze isn't intelligent enough to make and execute such a plan."

* * *

**Blaze** was fuming. Her delicate balance, held in place for twelve long years, shattered in a day! The best thing about this utter catastrophe was that she had chosen not to attack on Queen Scarlet's hatching day. Such an attack would devastate Burn's army, leaving Blister feeling secure enough to double-cross her. If she was extremely lucky, that attack would have killed Burn, allowing her to convince the MudWings to join her, though the SkyWings would never do so. Irrelevant. The SkyWings would have been taken out of the war for a while anyway. However, it WAS the dragonets of destiny who destroyed the balance… a good sign for declaring against Burn. Now all she had to do was meet them and convince them that she would be the best queen for the SandWings in the long term. Contrary to her carefully cultivated image, she wasn't a complete idiot - she wasn't as smart as Blister, and they both knew it, but then again, who was? She knew that she couldn't move against either of her sisters in earnest for fear of the other destroying her, Blister was smart enough to do the same, and Burn was strong enough to attack them both. Her desperate alliance with Blister had to be carefully managed - it must never be allowed to fall, or Burn would certainly be queen, but it must never be too powerful. To that end, whenever Blister scored a great victory, Blaze would find a way to quietly undo it. When the alliance started pushing Burn back too much, she would commit a massive tactical blunder in just such a way that Blister could not correct it in time. She wasn't as smart as Blister… but she was cunning enough. Moving around pieces on her map, she frowned.

"With Scarlet out of the picture, the alliance is in danger… I can't attack the MudWings again, Blister will destroy us both, and I can't attack Blister because Burn will destroy me. The only reason the plan worked so far is because I've been so ineffective that if Burn defeats my army, she'll still have enough power to go after Blister, and we all know it. Well, they'll probably have headed east. The Mud Kingdom dares not go against Burn, since her last act before losing the war would be to annihilate them, so I can keep some semblance of order there. The SeaWings… yes. That's probably it. They want to end the war, so they won't go to the rainforest, they're completely neutral there. If they convince the SeaWings to defect, or otherwise sow chaos there as they did in the Sky Kingdom…" Blaze mused. Suddenly, she heard the tapping of claws approaching. Quickly, she shoved the pieces she was shuffling about behind her, folded up the map, and hid it under her pillow, not a moment too soon. Queen Glacier walked in.

"Blaze."

"Glacier, darling! How goes the war?"

"Badly. If we'd attacked during the party like I wanted to, we'd have dealt with Burn there and then."

"But if we'd attacked then, with the palace guards there and Burn's soldiers visiting, we might have lost, and then where would we be?"

"There is no victory without risk, princess! Maybe **I** should make the decisions."

"**No**. I am the one with a stake in this, I lead. We've survived twenty years… we can last longer. Your tribe especially, with that wall of yours. I and my SandWings are the ones most at risk… it's fitting that I lead."

"But you're terrible at it. If I had been leading, we'd have won the war years ago!"

Blaze did not bother to correct the queen. The only way to win the war through brute force is to destroy both competing sides. Glacier's army would have been caught by Blister's before they got back from destroying Burn's army.

"I have a plan! Everything's going according to plan!" Blaze made sure to include a note of panic in her voice. She'd been deceiving everyone for years… but it got so annoying sometimes.

"Some plan," the queen grumbled. "Blaze. You are aware of basic military strategy? Surprise attacks, attacking where the enemy is weak?"

"Of course!" Blaze retorted.

"Evidently not. We'd have had both of those if we'd attacked the Sky Kingdom instead of the Mud Kingdom."

"Maybe, maybe not. How do you get your scales so sparkly?" Blaze cringed inwardly. This was not one of her better changes of subject. Glacier looked momentarily taken aback, but at least she dropped the subject of the war.

"I don't think you'd be able to copy it, as I dive into near-frozen water routinely to get my scales like this." Glacier said, somewhat bemused by the change of subject. "So, about my leadership -"

"Perhaps we should focus on our defenses."

"WHY? This is the perfect time to press forward, to eliminate Burn and then Blister!"

"Let me rephrase that," Blaze said, steel entering her voice. "We **will** focus on our defenses, because I said so, and **I'm in charge**. This is our best path forward! Don't you see? If we overextend ourselves attacking Burn, Blister will help Burn, then destroy us all, and you won't get your land. This matter is CLOSED!"

Glacier looked shaken. Perhaps she had overdone it a little with the logical argument at the end, but she was stressed and it was a legitimate reason. Still, she needed to get Glacier's mind off what she had actually said…

"So, about jewelry…"

"That's it. I'm going. Bye." Glacier snapped impatiently, leaving. Blaze smirked. As long as she remained in charge, she could keep her sisters in check while not destroying either. The war would draw to a close soon, and when the dust settled?

"Two shall die and one shall learn…"

* * *

**Apollo: The reason I didn't put this part of the note at the top is that it pertains to Blaze. We have decided to characterize her according to Obfuscating Stupidity. We figured that nobody could possibly be THAT stupid and wrote her as just an intellectual notch below BLISTER, and an actor good enough to fool Queen Glacier into thinking that she's practically brain-dead. **

**Artemis: YAAAAAAAAAAY no haiku this time! Let's end this before he finds a way to put one in. **

**Hermes: Boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!**


	11. Sea

**Apollo: Here we are now, back again on the fourth. We will not bring politics into this. We are sorry for the delay, as always. **

**Artemis: To SwaggyPirateDragon - hi again! Thanks. Our extended family DOES forget our names a lot. About Gibbon, I don't really remember. I haven't read that part in a while. **

**Apollo: I do, he survived. **

**Artemis: Ok, yay. We did think it would be cool to bring the protagonists of Arc II into this. We thought giving Blaze more intelligence than a concussed sheep would be a good idea. And I do NOT like his haikus and hope we never again have to endure them. To TheDragonSaver, we thought so. **

**Apollo: To Blackberry Avar - Wow. Impressive review. Thanks! The thing about the stable balance... do remember that Blister also wants to take advantage of the prophecy. In short, they're working with essentially the same plan and hoping the other doesn't know. We have not read Dune, and while Pyrrhia COULD support 300,000 dragons per tribe, it isn't at this point in their history. We'll have to figure out actual values later. Finally, no, there isn't any conscious influence from your review. That line would have occured anyway, and that writing request from Turtle WAS meta, but aimed at us. There will definitely be trouble ahead for Ruby's regime, which we touch on later. If you have any more thoughts about this review, you're welcome to PM us. **

**Hermes: To TheJoffa, thanks. **

**Artemis: A man of many words, everyone. About the planned well bit... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Suuuuuure it is... ;) To EchoTheHybrid, welcome back, and thank you. I like your new username. **

**Hermes: Not too crazy about some of the scenes in here, but I'll let you decide whether you like them. **

**Artemis: No, you can't show weakness in front of the horde! **

**Apollo: Finally, we don't own Wings of Fire, and please read our AN at the bottom. **

**Edit (July 18): Fixed issue with a line break. **

* * *

A wave roared onto the beach and crashed around Tsunami's talons. Her webbed claws sank into the wet sand. Her blue wings billowed in the wind. Beside her, Gill stood, a look of wonder etched on his face. Of course, Starflight realized, he never expected to see the sea again while he yet lived. Tsunami lifted her head, breathing in the air that smelled almost nauseatingly like fish.

"Let me guess," Glory said mockingly from behind her. "You **guys**, that's the smell of **freedom**."

"Indeed," Gill intoned solemnly.

"Well, in that case," Starflight remarked. "Freedom smells a lot like fish."

"Speaking of, are we stopping to catch anything, or…" Clay sheepishly trailed off when Tsunami glared at him. A butterfly fluttered down and landed on Tsunami's snout. She stared at it for a moment, then shook it off.

"Right. We need to get back under the trees and plan our route. Gill's the only one who knows the area, after all," Starflight announced. The others complied, Tsunami only putting up a token protest.

"Oh, calm down," Sunny soothed. "You'll be back there soon enough."

"We could have been here sooner!" Tsunami snapped. Starflight stared at her.

"If we'd continued to fly over the Diamond Spray Delta, or worse, SkyWing territory, running a greater risk of capture."

"What, did you have a vision about it?" Tsunami asked, a mocking edge to her tone.

"Visions and logic are not mutually exclusive. As Sunny said, we'll be out there soon. We just need to know where to go. Gill?"

"I know how to get there underwater, but that won't work for you four. We'll have to island-hop. It will take a while. Almost due north, about a day's flight, is a mid-sized island. That's our first stop unless you have any issues with that?"

"No issues here," Starflight said. Suddenly, dragons entered his perception. SkyWings, in formation. "Wait, on second thought, there's a SkyWing patrol incoming. Hide." Putting deed to word, Starflight darted into the forest, pulling Sunny along. Tsunami, Gill, and Clay dove into the ocean, Clay burrowing into the sand as he did so, and Glory simply crouched. Her scales, formerly a deep gold like Sunny's shot through with blue, shifted in colour to approximate the sand on the beach, and she dug herself a short distance down. Even Starflight, knowing where to look thanks to his telepathy, found it hard to spot any of the other four. Nodding, he retreated deeper into the shadows of the trees. The patrol passed without incident. Of course, even if it hadn't, a patrol of SkyWings was hardly a match for Tsunami and Clay, two dragons that would each take multiple SkyWings to capture or kill, Gill, an experienced general who fought on the front lines, Glory, a dragon who could not only become effectively invisible, but shoot venom from a distance, Starflight himself, and he knew that while he wasn't the best, he was skilled, and Sunny, by far the most dangerous dragon in the area. The five dragonets, plus Gill, came out of hiding, just as Starflight sensed triumph. A rear guard! Cursing his overconfidence, he broadcast urgently.

"_Inland NOW! Rearguard just spotted us._"

It was a clever trick, Starflight had to admit. He would have to make sure not to fall for it again in the future. Fortunately, they had enough of a head start to escape, for though the SkyWing could outpace them all, he was unwilling to stray too far from his comrades. Still, they had to travel inland more to sell the deception that they were not going to the sea.

"Change of plans. We continue due south, circle back east after maybe a day or two, and go to the sea from there."

Tsunami looked ready to complain, but Gill forestalled her.

"It's a good plan. If we're followed into the sea, a competent dragon could find out the location of the Summer Palace from us. It's the only major SeaWing structure above the surface, and its loss would shatter morale. We'll be there in maybe… a week."

* * *

In her lava pool, Queen Battlewinner had nothing to do but think. To ponder the war, Mastermind's efforts to make a usable set of armor, Morrowseer's plan. She cursed herself for a fool. Had she thought of it at the time, she could have had Stonemover cure her of her condition, removing the need to wait for Mastermind in order to lead the invasion herself. But that was not to be, the errant dragon gone to hide in Jade Mountain, and she knew better than to send dragons after him. One does not offend an Animus dragon lightly, even one afraid of his own power. She was stuck, unable to rule her tribe properly, instead passing orders through her weakling of a daughter. She had to be able to lead by the time the rainforest was to be invaded, or else trust Greatness to do so, and that simply wouldn't do. She could not even rely on the prophecy, as one group was unreliable, even including a RainWing, and the other was weak and nearly useless. A mad NightWing, a gluttonous MudWing, a cowardly, snivelling SeaWing, the only two with any potential were the SkyWing and SandWing! At least the other group was competent, if the news Morrowseer had brought her about events in the SkyWing palace was trustworthy. Somehow, the dragonets had engineered and executed a plan revolving around the betrayal of the queen's champion, managing to free another prisoner in the chaos. Fortunately, this did not impact the plan much. With Burn's alliance weakened, surely Blister and Blaze would take advantage, and once that was done, it would be all too easy for Blister's army to crush Blaze's SandWings between the hammer of an unstoppable attack and the anvil of that blasted wall. Either way, Blister would win, and the NightWings with her. All she had to do… was wait. She hated waiting.

* * *

They were well and truly in the bay now. After a detour, they had flown to the sea, stopping at every island, catching food when they could. Starflight felt a weight land on his head. Opening his eyes, he got up grumpily. It was Clay's tail, and Tsunami was moving away. They had packed themselves into a cavern halfway up a cliff, the five dragonets hidden out of sight and Gill having tied himself to the bottom of the sea nearby to avoid unwanted eyes from above. That rock really was convenient, but it worked. Tsunami was walking towards the sea.

"_Be safe._"

Starflight sensed acknowledgement as Tsunami disappeared from view. Really, she deserved this. Before that week, she had never even seen the sea. Anyway, it was time to wake the others. Just a little while more, and they'd reach the Summer Palace, if Gill's memory could be trusted. Taking his time, Starflight woke up the others, Sunny first, then Glory and Clay, finally going down to the beach to find Gill. He had just found and woken Gill when a splash sounded from the sea. Tsunami had surfaced, followed by a larger dragon. Neither seemed hostile. Starflight reached out to Tsunami.

"_Who's that?_"

_His name is Riptide. SeaWing soldier. I'm bringing him to you. Should be safe._

"_Ok._"

By then, Sunny and the others were on the beach with them. Gill caught sight of the soldier.

"Identify yourself!"

* * *

In the ground, a dragon dreamed. He knew not how long he had been asleep, and he knew not how long it would be until he woke. Futures, pasts, possibilities whirling through his mind, uncontrolled. Was he already awake? Had he merely been sleeping for an hour? Would he ever wake? Had he ever slept? Here, a SandWing killed by scavengers, there, RainWings melting out of their forest to ambush MudWings. He saw leaflike dragons in a forest, facing two SeaWings. He saw a NightWing, and the sight of her filled him with aching familiarity. He saw a fourth moon in the sky. He saw a mountain crumbling as a truly massive dragon ripped his way out. He saw that dragon eating a strawberry and shrinking, he saw that dragon stiffen facing an odd-looking SandWing and collapse, he saw that dragon fall dead, a smoking hole in his skull. He saw an army of IceWings falling, lethal wounds in the exact same place on every white body. He saw a NightWing sketch, and that sketch come to life. He saw fire, so much fire, and order rising from the chaos. He saw a SeaWing on a beach, a coconut striking an older SeaWing, he saw the same SeaWing on the same beach, but nothing happened, and a pinkish dragonet sending forth her coconut instead, he saw battles innumerable, he saw a dragon made of stone. What was his name again? He saw three moons in the sky, he saw five eggs, one of them silver, he saw three dragons standing over them. A SkyWing, a SeaWing, and a SandWing. He saw the same three moons and those same three dragons and those same five eggs, except that the silver egg was pitch-black. He saw that egg hatch twice, and he heard the SeaWing name him Starflight. Who was Starflight? Was it the dreamer? He saw many hatchings, names with them. Thorn, Coral, Fathom, Glacier, Blaze, Grandeur, Jambu, Starflight again, Blister, Oasis, Burn, Moorhen, Deathbringer, Vulture, Blue, and countless more. He saw a grand tree, a solid trunk with countless branches, on fire, frozen, electrified, glowing, sucking in all light, all sprouting from a single point, and at that point a black dragon lay curled up. He saw the branches whip around, but always, one remained still. A branch pointing straight up, of ordinary wood. He saw a grove of those trees, and he saw that all of those trees? They were branches of another, greater, tree, which was itself a mere branch of another. He saw everything, yet nothing. He saw a scavenger, with dark fur on its head and an odd object on its face, sitting in front of an odd contraption. He saw another black dragon, but this was clearly no NightWing, and it was missing part of its tail. He saw a dragon, Clearsight by name, and he remembered who he was before that realization was swept away by the mists of dreams.

He was Darkstalker.

* * *

Riptide landed on the beach and said "Riptide, of the SeaWings under the rule of Her Majesty Queen Coral - General? Is that you?"

Gill was pacing. "Riptide, Riptide… Webs' son?"

"Yes."

"Yes, I'm alive. And here. And I almost wasn't."

"What happened? We thought you were dead!"

"I was captured by the SkyWings. These five got me out. Well, four of them, anyway. The NightWings apparently kidnapped him," Gill explained, jabbing a claw at Starflight.

"And who are they? She introduced herself as Tsunami, but didn't tell me what she's doing all the way out here."

"The dragonets of destiny in general, and the missing princess in particular."

"WHAT."

"Riptide, this is my daughter, Tsunami. If you go anywhere near her, I'll rip your wings off and feed them to you. Understood?"

Tsunami jumped in. "You won't do anything like that. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself if he does anything."

"I suppose you've proved that, back in the arena."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. The arena? As in, Queen Scarlet's death arena of fun and games?" Riptide interjected.

"Yes."

"How did you escape **her**?"

"I was actually asleep. Tsunami?"

"Glory, the RainWing over there, attacked Burn, missed, hit Scarlet instead, Scarlet's champion, scary SkyWing by the name of Peril, freed Clay, they got me out and we went to rescue Sunny while Clay flew out of there carrying a certain unconscious SeaWing. That about cover it?"

"And what are a SeaWing, a MudWing, a RainWing, a SandWing, and a NightWing all doing together?"

"Oh, that's simple. We're -"

"The dragonets of destiny." Glory deadpanned. Tsunami glared. Glory glared back. "If we'd waited for your dramatics, we'd be here all day, likely as not."

"Sir?" Riptide asked weakly. "Remind me not to get involved in their plans."

"I fear it's inevitable," Gill answered seriously.

* * *

Scarlet was fuming. In the space of a day, she had lost everything. Her throne, her prize prisoners, and to something unforgivable. She'd seen where the RainWing was aiming with that infernal acid. Burn, instead of dodging, had seen fit to use the queen herself as a shield. How dare she? But no, Scarlet would not go against Burn… for now. For now, Scarlet needed Burn, so she must content herself with the painful deaths of the dragonets. Not Peril, for while she had betrayed her, Scarlet physically could do nothing to Peril until Soar returned. And besides, there was some small part of the former queen that cared for Peril, buried deep under bloodlust and sadism. No. Peril would suffer, but she would live. Now she must turn her attention to her misbehaving daughter. Ruby had to know that Scarlet would be back. It was an audacious move, seizing the crown, one that Scarlet might have appreciated were it not **her** crown stolen. Perhaps… perhaps, once she recovered enough, she could challenge Ruby for her throne back. She would win, of course, she had made sure that **Ruby** could never beat her in a fight, and she could reuse the mask as a stopgap measure, to keep Peril compliant while Soar wrote out a more permanent solution. It was interesting how the masks worked. Scarlet knew that Soar was a mask, but the only one that the dragon behind the mask deigned to wear in her presence. She knew about the existence of only one other the dragon currently used, an IceWing named Cirrus, but she also knew that they had once used the mask of a female SkyWing, Pyrite by name, and suspected that they had at least one mask for every tribe. It was slightly unnerving, but it was well worth it to have Animus magic at her command, no matter how indirect. In the meantime, she had her loyalists. A civil war was undesirable, but if Scarlet wished to regain her power, it had to happen.

* * *

"Riptide," Sunny said. "Funny name."

"I like it," Tsunami said.

Riptide was pacing, muttering furiously to himself. Suddenly, he looked up.

"So the Talons of Peace are real."

"Unfortunately," Glory muttered from a rock she had found to perch on. Her scales shimmered silver and rose in the morning light.

"Doesn't everyone know about the Talons?" Sunny asked.

"Rumors and whispers, no more. No queen would be pleased to find a Talon in their midst. Conspiring with other tribes? Stealing eggs?" Riptide shook his head. "Queen Coral would kill any dragon she found working with the Talons."

"To be fair, their goal is an admirable one, even if their methods… aren't," Starflight interjected.

"Yes, yes… but you're **the** dragonets of destiny. For real. The ones in the prophecy. That's real. AND one of you is the eldest princess who's been missing since before she hatched. Here. In SeaWing territory." Riptide stopped, inhaling sharply. "So, did Webs steal your egg for the Talons, or for his own reasons?"

Tsunami stared at him, unimpressed. "Is it not obvious?"

"I guess," Riptide said, not very reassuringly. "Where did you even grow up?"

"Cave somewhere in the Claws of the Clouds," Starflight said. "Very very safe, and very very boring. There was a legitimate chance that Tsunami wouldn't know Aquatic."

"How do **you** know about Aquatic?"

"We grew up with Webs. One day, I asked Tsunami what the glowing scales are for, she went to Webs, and that's why he remembered to teach her Aquatic."

_Better to keep our understanding of it to ourselves._

Starflight gave a warning glare to the others. They seemed to understand.

"And you were all raised in a cave. No ocean, nothing?" Riptide asked disbelievingly.

"Right up until we escaped, what, a couple weeks ago?" Said Tsunami. Starflight nodded.

"That's **awful**," said Riptide.

"I **know**, right? I've always said our life was miserable, but these dragons keep arguing with me."

"Are you forgetting that they kept us alive and safe and taught us what we needed to know, more or less?" Starflight commented pointedly.

"What happened with Webs, anyway? He'd rarely talk about his past back in the cave," Sunny said. Starflight looked at her.

"_Thanks for the change of subject._"

"_No problem._"

Riptide ducked his head. "He's infamous. Everyone knows he deserted during a battle, then came back and stole one of the queen's eggs. At least, Queen Coral's convinced it was him, but nobody knew if he stole it for the Talons or for some other reasons. We're not, strictly speaking, allowed to talk about the Talons of Peace rumors."

"Didn't anyone think he might have stolen the egg for the prophecy?" Starflight asked, bewildered. The prophecy, fake as it might be, called for a SeaWing.

"Of course some of us did. Again, nobody talks about it. Queen Blister doesn't like hearing about the prophecy, so that's a forbidden topic too."

"Blister oversteps herself. Even Burn didn't do anything when Scarlet went against her, except complain a bit." Tsunami said, wrinkling her snout.

Riptide shifted uncomfortably and picked up a conch shell, twisting it between his talons anxiously. "You'll want to call her **Queen** Blister when you meet her. And what's this about Burn and Scarlet?"

"Oh, Burn wanted to kill us quickly and privately. Scarlet insisted on a spectacle, said that nobody would believe it was us if they did it Burn's way. And we haven't decided she **should** be queen. Until we do, she is a princess. If we're being technical, **I** outrank her," Tsunami said airily.

Riptide was visibly suppressing a grin. Gill stared at him as if to say, _Yes, she's awesome. Stay away from her._

An awkward silence reigned for a few seconds until Clay spoke up. "Did you know Webs?"

Riptide dropped his gaze again. "Not really. He deserted when I was two years old. I've been hearing about his treachery my whole life… frankly, I'm lucky that the general doesn't hold my father's behaviour against me. I've been nothing but loyal."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Gill remarked dryly.

"But the prophecy calls for a SkyWing," Riptide said. He pointed at Glory. "She's very clearly a RainWing."

Starflight grinned. Morrowseer wanted to play games with a false prophecy? Then there was nothing wrong with twisting the wording until it screamed for mercy. "The prophecy calls for 'wings of sky', not explicitly SkyWings. If we're being technical, I'm wings of sky, and so is Sunny, and maybe Clay if you stretch the definitions. Besides, rain falls from the sky, doesn't it?"

Riptide blinked. Tsunami continued.

"Besides, we don't really care about the prophecy. For all we know, it's not even talking about this war! It just says 'the war'. If you want the war ended, go right ahead, because we're just finding our families. A few days ago, for instance, I found out I was stolen from the Royal Hatchery, just before Clay found out that his mother sold his egg for a couple cows. I figured that maybe my parents were looking for me… well, he wasn't, he was a bit occupied, but like in **The Missing Princess**. Do you know that scroll?" Tsunami jabbed a talon at Gill, who looked a bit pained. Riptide quashed another smile.

"I do," he said. "It's required reading in school."

"Required reading?" Tsunami echoed. "Isn't it just a fairy tale?"

"As a matter of fact, it isn't. The topic is the power of stories to convey messages. Queen Coral wrote that expressly in the hopes that you would find it. **The Missing Princess** is a message to the titular missing princess. She's a rather prolific writer."

"It's not the most well-written, but still. I suppose I know why I could relate to it now," Tsunami said.

"It was written in quite a hurry. You want a masterpiece of the queen's, you should read **The Tragedy of Princess Orca the Transcendent**, though everyone just calls it **The Tragedy of Orca**. It's actually based on the true story of -"

"My elder sister who died in a challenge for the throne? Father told me."

"Ah. Anyway, I can't take them to the palace. You and King Gill, certainly, but I can't take the others. Security risks."

"Weren't you listening? We're the dragonets of destiny. Who are we gonna tell?"

"But I'm in enough trouble with the queen as it is! That's why I'm stuck patrolling all the way out here. I bring a MudWing back to the palace, I might as well be yanking out my own teeth."

Glory saw fit to speak up. "Ew. Somehow, I get the feeling that's happened before."

Tsunami seemed to really not want to know the answer to that. "Think of it this way," she said quickly. "If Queen Coral found out you met her missing daughter AND the missing king and **didn't** bring them back, she'd definitely do… something horrible."

Riptide squirmed and wrinkled his snout. "Can't I bring you and leave the others?" he asked. "At least until the queen permits it?"

"Bring them all, Riptide. I'll clear it with Coral," Gill interjected smoothly.

"Fine, fine, but they have to be blindfolded."

"What am **I** going to do?" Glory asked. "Round up some scary RainWings and sleep on your roof? I thought no one was afraid of my tribe."

An image and a voice. A SeaWing, complaining about the unruly MudWings… and RainWings. A large proud looking RainWing, telling Glory that once upon a time, RainWings were involved in combat.

"We're not," Riptide objected. "Afraid of RainWings. Pffft. What a thing to say."

"Just let them see. I was planning to bring them in without blindfolds anyway," Gill ordered.

"Sir yes sir!"

* * *

Power. Such an odd word. So many different meanings. The ability to compel, the existence of unusual abilities, even more abstract things such as determination, will, and knowledge. Whirlpool knew all this. He was, after all, on the SeaWing council, the official scribe. He himself had invented the everlasting ink, squid ink mixed with whale blood, and he was one of Queen Coral's most trusted advisors.

Meh.

Queen Coral was weak. It had always been Gill who handled all the military matters. The queen was so weak that even a dragonet with no special abilities whatsoever had almost killed her in a royal challenge, the queen's survival being down to sheer dumb luck. Why then was it always the females who could be the ultimate authority? Gill of the SeaWings, Queen Moorhen's brothers, by the moons, Morrowseer. Being the councillor for Publishing and Magic was a truly underrated position. He had access to all knowledge held by the SeaWings, going back for thousands of years. Of all the histories he had read, however, there was one that stood out above the rest. A shining example of potential untapped. Once, it was said, the NightWings lived on the continent. Around three millennia after the Scorching, a NightWing was hatched. His name had been lost to time, but his powers had not. This dragonet could read minds, see the future, and most critically of all, cast Animus magic. And so, after the well-documented Royal SeaWing Massacre, incidentally perpetrated by PRINCE Albatross, the SeaWings had sent Prince Fathom to befriend this dragon. He had succeeded, but ultimately, this dragonet succumbed to the madness of Animus dragons and disappeared.

But what if? What if this mysterious dragonet had succeeded in whatever he had been planning? The histories were clear that this was not the same madness that drove Albatross to slaughter his family. This was clarity born of insanity, a dragon either so mad that he went back around to sanity, or a dragon so terrifyingly sane that he was mistaken for mad. Whirlpool dreamed of a world where dragons could earn their positions on merit, a world where a king could rule if he were canny and strong enough to hold his throne. Whirlpool dreamed of equality. To that end, he had approached Princess Blister years before. He had been less cynical then, more hopeful of change. Blister had seen as he did, he thought, had seen that males **could** be great. Burn and Blaze were fools, saved in the war only by Queen Scarlet's pragmatism in the former's case and the wisdom of knowing when to hide behind Queen Glacier in the latter's. He had offered on that fateful day to ensure that the Kingdom of the Sea would always support Blister and outlined his plan.

He would work his way into being a trusted advisor of Queen Coral, trusted enough to be married off to a princess. He would then ensure that the princess could survive a challenge to become queen, and influence events as king. At the moment, it had to be Anemone, but that carried severe risk. He had to make sure that she could use her powers in the event of a royal challenge, but that she didn't use them enough to go mad. After all, if that happened, the only thing that would save them all is if her madness was the same as that of the ancient NightWing. He had a vision, but he could never express it openly! Not in this world where the highest position he could ever hold was a councillor, just because he had been hatched male. There were few male dragons in positions of power. Himself, a couple other councillors, Queen Scarlet's son, Vermilion, who only had his power through his birthright and near-fanatical loyalty to his mother, Queen Moorhen's brothers, Morrowseer, that SandWing prince, Smolder, and he had been hearing whispers from the Scorpion Den for some time now that Thorn was training a young dragon to succeed her in due time as the leader of the Outclaws. Oh, and of course **nobody** knew what the RainWings were up to. There had never, to Whirlpool's extensive knowledge, been a king in Pyrrhia with any real power, always with a queen who could overrule him in an instant if she saw fit. They were lucky that Queen Coral recognized her relative incompetence, or they would have been as stuck as Blaze's army, trapped with an irreplaceable but idiotic leader. Even then, they were in trouble. Shark wasn't nearly as good as Gill in this whole war business… for the sake of the SeaWings, Whirlpool dearly hoped that Gill would return soon.

* * *

**Apollo: This AN is about Whirlpool, since we anticipate some backlash over his motives. We figured he should have some motivations other than being a slimy pedophile, and Artemis came up with his alliance with Blister. We do not, in any way, shape, or form, condone his actions. We merely seek to explain them and to induce a 'Villain Has a Point' moment. Effectively, he is trying to fight a battle for equality in the only way he knows how. The only thing Pyrrhia has known for millennia, not counting the RainWings, is absolute monarchy. **

**Artemis: Hm... maybe we can add in a RainWing king, just to show how laid-back and weirdly progressive they are? **

**Apollo: Maybe, but you have to consider that Grandeur, the one who set up that system, is still a product of the old system. It may not have occurred to her to allow kings to have actual power of their own. **

**Artemis: Honestly, we really don't support bigotry of any form. I'm a girl, they're guys, we all understand this, we don't support this, but some people do. We don't support them either. Hermes, say something! **

**Hermes: Something. **

**Artemis: See you next chapter. (No guarantee as to when.)**


	12. Coral

**Apollo: Heya! Sorry for the long delay, but the queen insisted that her chapter be a monster. We could have ended it earlier, but then Coral would barely appear, and she would never accept that. **

**Artemis: To SwaggyPirateDragon - We did like how Tsunami technically outranks Blister, and found it hilarious as well. And we're glad you like the little villain snippets. You have a point about Darkstalker, but while he was trying to make the world a better place... he did order his father to cut out his own tongue and disembowel himself. So... we'll try not to die, thanks for the advice. **

**Hermes: To Blackberry Avar - Thanks. **

**Artemis: A man of many words, everyone. **

**Apollo: To Gloria Splash - We'd love to claim credit for the prolific writer line, but that was all Tui. This is a CHILDREN'S BOOK. We appreciate the feedback on the line break, it's fixed now, and we tend to only do that when there are either only two characters capable of talking in the scene or when two characters are having a rapid-fire exchange. For the rest, thank you. **

**Artemis: To the first review by Nameless - Thank you. It is very THRILLING. I never liked the fact that he died either, I know it was important for Tsunami's character growth, but... Starflight is more confident - I imagine you have to be when you can read minds and see the future/past. And as for Gill... what can we say? He's just a damsel in distress. :D **

**Apollo: Did you just talk in emojis? **

**Hermes: To the second - Thanks. **

**Apollo: We don't own this, so... on with the show, folks! Lots to see today, let's go! **

**Artemis: NOOOOOOO the haikus are back! Run! **

**Hermes: Or be a ballerina. **

**Apollo: I don't even want to know. **

* * *

They flew out over the bay in v-formation, green-and-white islands glowing like scattered jewels below them. Interestingly enough, several of them were shaped like claws. Natural or enchanted? In any case, as high as they were, almost to the lowest clouds, they could even see part of the spiral pattern of the archipelago. In the intervals in which they swooped down close to the water, they could see dolphins leaping.

"Can we eat them?" asked Clay.

"No," Riptide called over his shoulder at the same time that Gill responded from the left side of their little formation, between Sunny to his left and Glory on his right. Riptide went on. "Queen Coral has forbidden it. She thinks they might be distantly related to us."

Tsunami looked down, slightly confused. Clay opened his mouth to argue further, likely on the basis of not actually being one of Queen Coral's subjects, but Starflight caught his eye and shook his head minutely. Clay closed his mouth, dejected.

It was an interesting puzzle, hiding an entire palace on an island. With the knowledge that the SeaWings had Animus dragons in the past, Starflight's best guess was that it was somehow underground. The best disguise for a palace on an island would be an island without a palace, after all. On the other claw, maybe that was too obvious. It was obviously above the water… Starflight was broken out of our pondering by Riptide announcing something. Starflight was not near enough to Riptide to hear over the wind, but he could make a fair guess as to the topic. The formation of SeaWings flying at them was a good clue. They hovered, waiting for the fifteen or so SeaWings to arrive. Riptide grimaced as the dragons grew closer. On his left, Starflight could see Tsunami tense, Clay mirroring her on his right.

"What's happening?" Sunny asked.

"The advance guard," Riptide said, turning in midair to face the other six.

"Their job is to ensure that nobody can approach the Summer Palace undetected," Gill added. "If I'm not mistaken… I'm not. That's not good."

Starflight would have asked, but at that point the SeaWings surrounded them.

* * *

"Rrrriptide," growled the dragon in the lead. His scales were a dull green bordering on gray, like stone where moss had been scraped away. His tiny, pale eyes stared almost malevolently from under his oddly twisted horns, and he was unscarred. Either one who commanded from the rear, or an exemplary fighter.

"What are you dragging home now?" he snarled.

Riptide looked him straight in the eyes. "I think your brother-in-law would object to being referred to as 'what'. Also, the missing princess."

A ripple of shock went through the other SeaWings. Tsunami tried to look regal and imposing. She was actually succeeding. Three Moons, she was a natural at this leadership business.

"Gill," said the dragon flatly, looking as though he had bit into something foul.

"Shark," Gill replied in the same tone.

Shark took a moment to re-center himself. "I'll admit that that is undoubtedly my **beloved** brother-in-law, but what makes you think that this dragon comes from the stolen royal egg? That would be a truly… unusual coincidence." One could positively **feel** the sarcasm in his voice. Tsunami bristled. Shark must have been a brother to Queen Coral, and they all knew it, from Starflight and Glory's near instant realization to Clay's five seconds or so.

"Why, do you lose a lot of eggs?" Tsunami said in a sugary-sweet voice. "Maybe you should take that up with whoever's in charge of defense." Shark scowled. "Would that happen to be you?" Tsunami finished with an angelic smile.

"Why yes, he is," Gill replied with a smirk.

"Her story makes sense," Riptide said, not at all desperately. Why would he be? The king was on his side in this matter. "Webs raised her. Finally, look at her glow patterns."

Had Tsunami not known Aquatic, her response to this statement would likely have been far more violent. Regardless, she simply lit her patterns. All of them. Suddenly. Tsunami's grin spoke volumes of the intent of this action, even if Starflight didn't know that she was entirely capable of lighting her patterns slowly and gradually in a manner that would not startle onlookers. Starflight was interested to see that her spiral markings were only shared by Shark within that group, as well as Glory if she felt like it, and that her starbursts were the largest, Shark's being again similar. Probably a royal marking then. Tsunami met Shark's gaze triumphantly.

"Very well," Shark hissed. "Kill them, except for the king and princess, of course."

* * *

"No."

Gill spoke calmly, but with authority. Tsunami capitalized on that moment of silence. "Under orders of said king and princess, you will not harm these dragonets."

The guards looked from her to Shark and Gill. Gill nodded sternly. Shark sighed and circled his talon in the air.

"Back away."

Starflight was struck with a memory. Years before, he had a dream of SeaWings communicating. One of the dragons was unmistakably Riptide. The other had been a dragon with black spiral patterns. Another royal? Perhaps. Riptide still looked tense.

"Very good," Gill said regally. "Now, to the Summer Palace. Perhaps you should inform the queen?"

Shark scowled again. "You two, inform the queen that she is needed at the Summer Palace."

The two indicated guards winged off across the water.

"Now, Riptide, why exactly are the RainWing, MudWing, NightWing, and… SandWing… not blindfolded?"

Riptide looked gleeful. "Because His Majesty told me not to blindfold them, of course!"

"Of course…" Shark muttered as the remaining dragons began flying again.

* * *

Islands flashed by below them as they flew on, with their tight guard of SeaWings. Some were small patches of sand, barely big enough for one of the dragonets. Others were towering, jagged rocks shooting out of the water. Ahead, there was one that looked like a huge dragon skeleton, with holes and gaps all through the pale stone. The skeleton's nose pointed to another island, ringed with forbidding rocks and presenting only a high, sheer cliff face on all sides. The top was a rioting jungle, thick green vines and trees pressed so close together that there was not a single spot clear enough to land on. Despite that, Starflight could sense dragons in there, and he knew Sunny could too. They had arrived at the Summer Palace.

Shark suddenly swerved and dove toward the base of the cliff. He splashed between two spiraling rocks, sharp and even as dragon horns, and vanished. Spirals… real subtle. Fine, to be fair, it was subtle to anyone who didn't know or suspect the meaning of SeaWing scale patterns. Half the guards followed him, each diving into the same spot, gone before the bubbles of their splash had cleared.

"Riptide?" Tsunami asked.

"More important than 'what is going on', how long will we be underwater?" Starflight added.

Riptide was visibly startled at Starflight's inquiry. "Not long. Only short swims. The passage was redesigned so Queen Blister can visit."

"Yes, but what is that?" Tsunami asked.

Starflight stared at her. "That," he deadpanned. "Is the entrance to the Summer Palace, marked by spiral rocks too even to be natural, and mirroring the spirals on your wings, as well as Shark's and presumably any other royal SeaWing."

"Oh."

"So is **Princess** Blister here now?" Starflight asked, making sure to emphasize the title. The guards seemed a bit shocked, but Riptide was unfazed. "She is not fond of swimming. Even after all the changes we've made, she rarely visits."

Good, Starflight thought. If she wasn't here, there was a chance that the dragonets would be able to meet her in a situation where they weren't surrounded by her allies. Their experience with Burn had been… less than ideal.

"Stay close behind me," Riptide said. "I'll light up my stripes so you can follow, and I'll flash them to signal you to surface at the breathing spots."

Without waiting for confirmation, Riptide turned and dove for the rocks, the dragonets and Gill following in single file. Starflight almost lost Tsunami in the fizz of bubbles that swarmed into his face as he dove, and he could not find any hole or tunnel, merely an orange-gold kelp forest. There! Tsunami's tail, glowing, knocking aside the curtain, and he swam after her as fast as he could. He made his way through the section of kelp, feeling the tendrils slide and slither around his snout. He swam through a thick patch directly toward the cliff wall, reaching a dark underwater tunnel, making sure to disturb the kelp behind him for the next dragon through to follow. It was not entirely dark in the tunnel - even without the SeaWings ahead of him, he was a NightWing, and Riptide flashed the lights in his tail and pointed upwards. Good. He needed to breathe. Starflight shot upward to a hole in the tunnel roof not far inside the entrance, almost immediately reaching air and gasping. Behind him, he could see Glory, who had taken on the colors and patterns she had learned to copy from Tsunami way back in the cave. Looking up, Starflight could see a glimmer of light up a long narrow chimney. A place to stop and breathe, nothing more. One by one, the others joined him, except for Gill. Due to space constraints, Gill could not poke his head up without dislodging another dragon, and so swam below them. Clay looked fine, Glory and Sunny… were gasping for air.

"Good thing this breathing hole is here," Clay remarked to Riptide. "So close to the entrance, I mean."

Riptide smiled. "Queen Blister insisted."

Several guards passed below them, but Starflight could sense the two guards still outside the tunnel. He guessed that they were a rear-guard. Couldn't have those untrustworthy dragonets spilling the secret of the location of the Summer Palace, he thought wryly.

"Let's go, let's go," Tsunami said, splashing enthusiastically.

"Good grief," Glory said with a shudder. "Two of Sunny."

"Hey," Sunny protested half-heartedly.

"Come **on**, we're almost there." Tsunami flashed her stripes happily, but not brightly enough to blind. Riptide sank below the surface.

It was easy to follow him. The tunnel twisted and turned with frequent stops like the first, at least ten, and eventually, there was light ahead. A moment later, they swam out of the tunnel into an open lake, green-tinted sunlight dazzling them at first. The curse of having good night-vision was that it took longer to adjust to light, and when his vision cleared, Starflight could see over a hundred dragons surrounding them, stunned. It's not every day that your missing king appears in the heart of the Kingdom of the Sea… at least, the above-water part.

* * *

They were inside the island, surrounded by towering cliffs. Far above, sunlight filtered through a thick green canopy, comprised of vines and treetops. As in, just the treetops. They had been woven so thickly and skillfully as to resemble a dense, impassable jungle from above. The canopy protected the palace from view and at the same time gave the light a sea-green tinge. Waterfalls cascaded from holes in the cliffs, bursting into spray as they hit the lake. The only visible exit was the tunnel behind him.

Four pillars of blue-tinted white stone, probably marble, spiraled out of the water, winding towards one another until they formed a towering pavilion in the middle of the lake. The pavilion had twelve circular levels, each smaller than the one below. There were few walls, most of them very low, the structure latticed with curving shapes and holes and little wading pools. It didn't look like it had been built. It almost looked like it had been… grown? But that couldn't be… no. No no no no no no no no no no no. It **had** been grown. It had to have been. Starflight could only pray to whatever entity was listening that it had not been constructed by a single dragon, because that pavilion could not be anything other than a great work of Animus magic. A work so mighty as to potentially drive the maker to madness were it done quickly.

On the edges of the pavilion, ledges of the cliffs, and even simply floating on the water, SeaWings stared. All was silent, save for the splashing waterfalls, the waves on the beaches, and the breathing of dragons. Starflight took a second to find the nearest stretch of sand and started swimming. After dragging himself onto the sand and shaking off the worst of the water, he turned around. Clay, Sunny, and Glory were following him, while Tsunami and Gill floated, rather awkwardly in his opinion, in the middle of the lake. Tsunami seemed to regain her confidence.

"Hello, fellow SeaWings," she called, pausing. Wow. Nice acoustics. "I'm Tsunami, and, um - I'm very happy to be home at last, and - and I look forward to meeting each of you."

"_Awwwwwwwwwwwwwkwaaaaaaard…_" Starflight broadcast to Tsunami. To Gill he added, "_Don't just float there and leave __**your daughter**_ _to do all the speeches. Get yourselves out of that incredibly awkward situation!_" Gill seemed to jump a little, then seemed to remember that yes, Starflight was telepathic, and yes, he was watching.

"Perhaps," Gill remarked. "You should bring us somewhere we can wait for Her Majesty." The SeaWings focused on him. A few moments of silence. Murmurs began.

"Is that…"

"The king has returned."

"We're saved!"

"Up there," said Riptide, indicating the top of the pavilion. "You should bring the others."

Starflight waved. Clay was burying himself in sand near the water, Sunny copying him a little way up the beach, and Glory was investigating a nearby cave, colour lightening a few shades from Tsunami's royal blue. Heh. Royal. Tsunami pointed at the pavilion. Starflight nodded.

"Clay, Sunny, Glory, we're to get to the top of that pavilion. Now."

Grumbling, Clay heaved himself out of the sand, the other three following, and the four took off. They flew a short distance from Tsunami, Gill, and Riptide, and could hear their conversation. Not that they were trying to eavesdrop, but the acoustics in the island really were amazing.

"Tell me about the palace," Tsunami said.

Riptide replied. "Guest rooms are in the caves," he said, flicking his tail at the cliffs. "Queen Blister usually stays in the one closest to the tunnel. We brought in extra sand to line the floor for her, and it's the only cave where fire is allowed. She meets with Queen Coral on the second level from the top, visiting royalty only. Each level has a purpose - dragonet school visits, celebration spectacles, war planning, you name it, it's probably there. When they are here instead of the Deep Palace, the Council meets on this level, halfway up." He indicated the middle level.

"Council?"

"They prefer the Deep Palace, as does the queen. Only Shark and Lagoon are here at the moment."

Silence for a few moments, broken only by the ambient sounds… and the murmurs. Finally, Tsunami spoke again.

"So which level for missing princesses?"

"Probably the top pavilion," Gill said. "New visitors. Last one that I know of was Blister."

"There was a NightWing after her. Big, bad-tempered, wanted to leave via the canopy."

"Probably Morrowseer," Tsunami concluded. The three flying SeaWings landed on the top level.

Riptide glanced down at Shark. "I can't believe you spoke to Shark like that," he whispered, almost too faint to make out. Yeah. **Now** Starflight was eavesdropping. Ah well. Knowledge is power. "I've never seen **anyone** talk back to him, other than the queens."

"He deserved it," Tsunami said, settling her wings. "Arrogant blowfish-head. When I'm queen, I'll make him go sit in a lagoon growing seaweed."

Riptide coughed. "Don't **talk** like that!" he whispered intensely. "Don't you know the difference between bravery and recklessness? He'll eat you and your friends for lunch if he thinks you're a threat to him."

Tsunami snorted. "Don't be so sure," Gill said ominously.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but… why?"

Tsunami looked smug. "Because at the very least, Glory and Sunny could incapacitate or kill Shark with little effort, unless I'm **very** much underestimating his skill. I could probably do it with more difficulty, maybe Clay at a stretch. Starflight… he plans ahead well enough to not even be there."

"By the moons, you make me nervous," Riptide said, shuddering.

Tsunami looked at the throne on one end of the top floor, considering it, as well as the smaller throne beside it. Starflight landed, followed by the others.

"You know, that's probably for your sister."

"Yeah…"

"Also, the acoustics in here are great!" Starflight lowered his voice to a whisper. "Good enough for us to hear your whispering from halfway down the pavilion."

Tsunami choked on air.  
"Don't worry. I don't think Shark heard you, and you're probably right," he continued in the same low tone. "But all the same, a little caution?"

Tsunami nodded reluctantly.

"This is a really big thing!" Clay exclaimed, splashing Glory in his enthusiasm. She was too busy admiring the thrones to snap at him. "I mean, this thing we're standing on. What do you call it? It's really tall - taller than our prisons in the Sky Kingdom, I think." He peered over the edge, ignoring Riptide's slightly queasy expression. "I like it," Clay went on, splashing Glory again. "Of course, it's much nicer to be this high when your wings are free. But at least the SkyWings gave us a pig sometimes. Do you have pigs? Octopi would be all right instead if you don't. Or squid. Or manatees. I could go for a manatee right now. Or a whale. I'm not fussy, is what I'm saying. Say, how did you make this big thing? Did it take forever to build?" Starflight could see Sunny look slightly sick.

"_Realized how it was made?_"

"_Yep._"

Riptide blinked for a moment, following Clay's slightly chaotic trail of thought. "The pavilion? An Animus SeaWing designed it, many generations ago, and enchanted the stone to grow this way. Even so, it took nearly ten years to reach this form."

"How bad was the rampage?" Starflight asked quietly.

"Bad," Gill said. "The Animus, Prince Albatross, went mad while the palace was growing. Some SkyWing ambassadors were in the kingdom, and he attacked during the dinner. Slit his sister's throat with a knife, killed one of the ambassadors and injured the other, then went on to destroy the majority of the royal family. A couple princes survived, as did Queen Pearl, who ascended to the throne at the age of five, ruling for many years. Her first act was to outlaw Animus magic, but that was repealed at some point. It was hard on her brother, though… the surviving stories tell of Indigo the Animus Slayer, Queen Pearl's top guard, known to have been romantically involved with Prince Fathom, who designed and enchanted the canopy, among other small things."

"How did she do it?"

"Apparently, she jumped him with a spear," Gill said. "A mighty Animus gone mad, brought down by a lowly spear. She was severely injured, but Prince Fathom saved her life."

"So the Royal SeaWing Massacre was perpetrated by the same dragon who designed this palace?"

"Yes."

Sunny simply stood there, shocked.

"So… I guess you guys already know the purpose of this floor?" Tsunami asked.

"Yeah. Uh, just out of curiosity, which level is the feasting on?" Clay asked. "You do have feasting, right?"

"Sometimes we have feasts. A shame I'm never here for them, I have this one line I've been wanting to use on new guests, but I never got the opportunity," said Gill.

"What's the line?" asked Riptide.

"Throw them… a feast!"

Any response to that was interrupted by a commotion from below. Rushing over to look, the first thing Starflight saw was the dragons all over the palace bowing low. Starflight realized why.

From the tunnel, a huge blue SeaWing, exactly the same colour as Tsunami, ascended towards the pavilion. She wore vines of pearls around her horns, her neck, and her wings, a twisted white horn attached to the end of her tail. Her claws were stained black for some reason, and she also wore a thin webbed harness with a long cord… there. A smaller dragon wearing a similar harness, attached by the cord. Perhaps a year old, flapping her wings frantically. The royal pattern was visible, even at that distance.

"That's Anemone?" Tsunami asked Gill.

"Probably. I was captured before she hatched, I heard about her from the SkyWings. Something about torturing information out of a prisoner…"

"Yeah, that's her," Riptide confirmed.

* * *

"Maybe **she's** the real reason Queen Coral forbade eating dolphins…"

"Interesting theory, but that ban was made quite a while before Anemone hatched," Gill said with a smile. A blur of royal blue shot across the floor, slamming into Gill, followed by a squawking pale blue blur being dragged behind. Gill grunted.

"Gill! You're alive!"

The queen had arrived, and Starflight already liked her better than the last queen he'd met. Granted, Queen Scarlet was the only actual queen he'd met before, so not much competition there.

"Coral! It's good to see you too. And you must be Anemone," Gill said, noticing the small royal.

"Dad?" asked a small voice from nearby.

Anemone was looking rather confused. Tsunami walked over to her.

"I'm Tsunami. You're Anemone?"

"Yes."

"That looked… rough. Are you alright?"

"My claws hurt, I guess…"

Queen Coral turned around, noticed Tsunami and engulfed her in a hug. Tsunami looked somewhat suffocated. Coral seemed to be… crying. Probably… definitely joy.

"My baby!" Coral cried. "I knew you'd come back to me. I knew you were out there, trying to find your way back. I never stopped searching for you."

Starflight caught a glimpse of an eye-roll from Tsunami. Understandable reaction to someone quoting their own well-known writing. Word-for-word. From a character that was intentionally based entirely on said author. Tsunami was writhing now. Starflight darted over and nudged Anemone.

"Your Highness, I think Tsunami's suffocating."

Anemone nodded quickly. "Mo**ther**," she whined. "**Ow**. That was too fast. I think I hurt my claws."

Queen Coral let go of Tsunami, whirled around and tugged Anemone closer. Starflight could see Tsunami signal "Thank you." The little dragonet crept under her mother's wing and held out her front talons pitifully.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Coral said, carefully examining Anemone's claws and then giving them a quick lick with her forked tongue. "Is that better?"

"I guess," Anemone said, flexing her talons mournfully.

"Look, darling, it's your sister. The one I told you about, who was stolen six years ago." Coral reached out and slid a webbed talon over Tsunami's snout. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

Anemone blinked. "You're my sister?"

"Yeah," Tsunami said, showing her patterns. Turning toward the queen, she continued. "I'm Tsunami. Hi!"

"A good name. Webs did one thing right." Her green eyes narrowed. "Where is he now? I have been planning his punishment for years." She glared over Tsunami's shoulder at Riptide. He had his head ducked and his wings folded as low as he could get.

"I knew he was a coward and a deserter," Coral said, "but after he returned to steal my egg… well, let's just say that his death will not be quick, nor painless."

Sunny squeaked. "Please don't hurt him. He was actually really nice to us."

"We don't know **exactly** where he is," Tsunami said as Queen Coral stared at Sunny. "He escaped when -"

"What are **you**?" Coral asked Sunny.

_Oh no._

Her gaze fell on the other dragonets, and her tail lashed dangerously. "WHY IS THERE A MUDWING IN MY SUMMER PALACE?" She took a step toward Clay, gills flaring.

"Stop," Gill said calmly, stepping between the dragonets and the queen. "They're the dragonets of destiny. They broke me out of the SkyWing arena."

"Ha," muttered Shark, who had at some point perched himself on the rim of the ledge along with nine other large dragons.

"Oh," Queen Coral said slowly, looking a bit faint. "Oh, I see." She studied Clay suspiciously, then turned her gaze to Starflight, Sunny, and Glory. "Yes, that was the rumor. If you believe in things like prophecies, of course. Dragonets of destiny. Well, Queen Blister will be so interested to meet you. We'd best make sure you don't go anywhere."

"Prepare to imprison them in the name of the Crown."

_Damn._

Seven burly SeaWings rose up behind the dragonets, claws twitching ominously.

"Put these four in Blister's cave," Queen Coral commanded, "and set a guard so they stay there."

Starflight sighed. "_Mind if I watch through you?_" he broadcast to Tsunami.

_Sure._

Sunny looked vaguely annoyed as one guard snatched her into the air. As another guard reached for Glory, she vanished, her scales shifting to perfectly mimic her surroundings, the last thing disappearing being her smug smirk.

"Don't hurt Sun - ow," Clay yelped as three SeaWings tackled him at once, binding him in woven seaweed ropes. "Ouch! Ow!"

Funny, how he was concerned for a dragon who was almost certainly the most dangerous dragon in the palace. Ah well. Bigwings instinct, Starflight supposed.

"Wait," Tsunami pleaded, clasping her talons. "Your Majesty… Mother. You don't have to do this. They're my friends, and I brought them here so you could protect us. I swear they're trustworthy."

"Perhaps this **is** a little much…" Gill murmured.

"Perhaps, but this is for their safety too, dear," Coral said to Gill. She turned back to Tsunami. "We won't hurt them, of course. You've come to the right place for protection, but they shouldn't wander the palace unsupervised - most of my dragons will attack MudWings and unfamiliar SandWings on sight."

"Or whatever that is," Shark muttered, sniffing at Sunny. Starflight, Tsunami, Clay, Sunny herself, and Gill glared at him, and Glory probably was too.

"Then surely, Starflight and Glory… wherever she disappeared to… can be free?" Tsunami asked, not expecting her mother to budge on the issue of Clay and Sunny.

"I'm afraid not. My dragons will likely suspect that the RainWing is here to spy for some reason," the queen said. "An assumption that is looking increasingly likely, might I add," she continued, raising her voice. "And after the **last** NightWing to visit here…"

Yeah, Glory was still close by. "Your Majesty, I suspect Glory is still here," Starflight commented.

"_You should probably come out of hiding. We __**can**_ _escape any time we wish, anyway._"

_I'm good, thanks. It might be helpful to have someone unrestrained._

"And in any case, I think we can all vouch for her harmlessness," Starflight continued with an annoyed look, rewarded with a surge of similar annoyance from Glory.

"Yeah," agreed Sunny, Tsunami, and Clay.

"Besides, it's not like you can find her," Gill said dryly.

"All the same, I would ask that… Glory… make her way to Blister's cave. If she doesn't… I guess nothing will happen to an invisible dragon, but if she were caught, she would be **very** heavily guarded indeed…"

"Wouldn't that just encourage her **not** to reappear?" Gill asked.

Awkward silence reigned for several seconds.

"I guess this means no feast?" Clay said mournfully. He rested his snout on the stone with a sigh.

"Food can certainly be arranged," said the queen. "Lagoon, make sure our guests are well fed." A plump turquoise dragon bowed and tipped herself off the ledge. "See, darling, we'll take good care of you all."

"You don't have to tie them up," Tsunami said. "They'll go with you."

"Fair enough," Queen Coral purred. "Take them away."

"Off you all go, then. Tsunami, darling, come sit with me and let's talk." She swept over to her throne, towing Anemone behind her. The tiny dragonet settled onto the small throne, watching the dragonets with big eyes. Starflight could sense Glory sitting right behind her.

"It'll be alright," Tsunami said. "I'll come join you very soon."

One of the guards poked Starflight. "Ah, yes, of course," Starflight said apologetically, taking off and flying after the guard who had Sunny. He spiraled down to the cave by the entrance, and when they all arrived, the guards untied Clay and left, taking up positions by the entrance. Starflight closed his eyes.

"_Sunny, please keep them from disturbing me. I'm watching through Tsunami._"

Sunny's voice became indistinct as Starflight's awareness focused entirely on Tsunami. He opened his eyes, but he didn't see the cave. What he saw was the top floor of the pavilion, through Tsunami's eyes.

* * *

Tsunami was wearing a rope of pearls, heavy and smooth. Most likely given to her by Queen Coral.

"-alk alone?"

"Of course," said the queen. "Council, you are dismissed. Moray, send a message to Queen Blister and see how quickly she can get here. As for you, creature, go back to your guard outpost and stay there until someone actually wants to see you."

_Harsh…_

Starflight couldn't help but agree. Gill looked somewhat uncomfortable. Riptide crouched, nodding, and dove over the edge. Tsunami leaned out to watch him swimming into the tunnel.

"What's wrong with Riptide?" she asked as the other ten dragons also flew away in a thunderclap of wingbeats. "I thought he was nice."

Gill and Anemone looked approving behind Coral's back.

"Oh, **no**," Queen Coral said with a shudder. "He can't be trusted. Webs is his father. Their bloodline is tainted with betrayal."

"Yeah, that bit hadn't really sunk in," Tsunami muttered. "But how is one to know that just because the father is a traitor, so too shall the son be one? That's like, I dunno, assuming that any of your children would be just like you or Gill," she continued.

Coral ignored her. "Nasty family," she went on. She lashed her tail, forcing Anemone to duck out of the way. "Not fitting company for royalty by any means. We keep him as far away from us as possible."

_Well Webs raised me, and I turned out alright…_

"_That you did, Tsunami, but I don't think you'll be able to change her mind in a day. Or ever. What did you even want to talk to her alone about?_"

_What Webs did and didn't teach me that can be applied to running a kingdom._

"_Then I guess Gill and Anemone shouldn't have to leave._"

_But I would prefer it if my father and my younger sister, who I do not want to be embarrassed in front of, didn't hear exactly which areas I fall horribly short in._

"_And you don't quite mind me because I already know?_"

_Exactly._

"So - we were saying - alone -?"

Coral gave Tsunami a flat look. "Do you really think I would let Gill out of my sight so soon after getting him back? And Anemone never leaves my side. I finally got a living daughter, and I'm keeping her that way."

"By watching me **every second**," Anemone said. "Seriously."

"And now I have two daughters!" Queen Coral said proudly. "Possibly four by the end of next week, if Tortoise does her job right." She gave Tsunami a worried look. "Maybe we should make a harness for you, too, dear."

_Nowhere under the moons!_

"_Perhaps phrase that more delicately?_"

"Oh, no, that's all right," Tsunami said. "I've managed to take care of myself up to now. I promise I'll stay alive."

"I'll vouch for that," Gill interjected.

"_Good job on not cursing in front of your family._"

_D'awwwww, thank you!_

The sarcasm was strong with this one.

"Hmmm," said the queen. "Well, we'll think about it."

_Why do I get the feeling she's trying to measure me for a harness anyway?_

"_I think that might be because she is._"

"So much for you to learn. I bet that coward didn't even teach you Aquatic…"

Tsunami smirked. "Actually, Mother, he did. Quite well, too."

Queen Coral was visibly shocked. "What do you know?" Queen Coral asked. "What else did they teach you?"

"Let's see… a lot of battle training. Webs taught us the history of Pyrrhia. We learned all about the Scorching and how the tribes were founded and how we nearly wiped out the scavengers. Um, he did geography, too. Dune taught us to hunt. Kestrel was supposed to teach different tribe strengths and weaknesses, but mostly she just yelled and tried to set us on fire."

"_It occurs to me that she might have been trying to teach us SkyWing strengths and weaknesses._"

Anemone's eyes were bright with interest. "Why don't I get to learn those things, Mother?"

"You will, dear," said Queen Coral. "When I think you're ready."

"What do you study?" Tsunami asked.

Anemone glanced at the queen. "How the Council works," she said. "Aquatic, of course. How to interpret battle reports and order our defenses. Managing the food supply and the treasury, although the Council commanders really do all that."

"It's still important to stay on top of them," purred the queen. "Dragons do their best work if you watch them closely the whole time."

"But mostly I'm stuck in training sessions with Whirlpool," Anemone said, wings drooping.

"For what?" Tsunami asked.

Anemone opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by the queen. "Never mind, dear," she said. "You'll see eventually. Were the Talons of Peace very cruel to you?"

"Wouldn't that go against, I dunno, their entire goal?"

Queen Coral stared.

"Well, they never let us out of the caves because they had a very good reason in the form of the murderous SkyWings that caught us almost as soon as we escaped. I didn't really like it much at the time, but Starflight pointed out that because of them, we actually survived to be here when we might not have otherwise. They were even helpful at times. Kestrel may have been… Kestrel, but if not for her teaching us how to fight, I don't think we'd have survived the SkyWings. Only thing I still have a problem with them about is that they didn't tell us about our families. We found out less than a week ago."

Queen Coral stared more.

"_I think you broke her. By the way, congrats on thinking it through, I'm proud of you._"

_Thanks._

Anemone was grinning, Gill looked slightly pained.

"What are those?" Tsunami asked, touching the dark stains on the queen's talons with one claw. Too dark to be bloodstains, but what else?

"The perils of my job!" Queen Coral said with a laugh, seeming to break out of her shocked stupor at hearing that the Talons of Peace weren't actually vile scumbags. "Well, my hobby. My art, you might call it. I should show you." She sprang to her feet, Anemone squawking at the sudden motion pulling her off balance. "And then you can meet Whirlpool. You'll adore him. He's just the most wonderful, brilliant young dragon."

_Did Anemone just roll her eyes?_

"_Yep._"

Tsunami followed Anemone and Coral down four levels, Gill close behind her, to a floor with low walls and several shapes like large cauldrons molded into the stone. Black and blue webbed talon prints trailed all around the floor, and a raised podium stood at one end with space for an audience of thirty dragons in front. At the other end was a long gray stone table with a scroll spread out on it, held down at either end by a small seahorse carved from dark brown wood. It looked half-written.

"_Well she __**is**_ _a writer…_"

"That's my work in progress," Queen Coral said proudly, proving Starflight right. "Whirlpool, come here!" She bustled over to one of the cauldrons, all packed with neatly rolled scrolls.

"This is beautiful," Tsunami said, lifting a carved seahorse. It was heavy and intricately detailed, with a curiously draconic expression on its tiny face.

Queen Coral visibly drooped. "Orca made those," she said sadly. "My first daughter. She was a very talented sculptor."

_The one that almost won the challenge… I wish I could have met her. She sounds awesome._

"_Yet if she had lived, you never would have, and then where would we be?_"

A dark green dragon with pale green eyes rose from the Council level. He had a remarkably large gold hoop through one ear and dappled, light green scales in wave patterns along his back. He had the same dark stains on his talons as the queen.

"Your Majesty," he said with an elaborate bow. "And Your Smaller Majesties." His voice was oily and slow, and if Starflight had been there in body as well as mind, he would have shuddered. This was probably Whirlpool, though he didn't look particularly "wonderful" or "brilliant." Then again, neither did Sunny. Or Clay. Or even Tsunami. Wait, where did Gill go?

He bowed to Anemone and Tsunami as he settled onto the floor behind the table. His eyes almost immediately went to the scroll in front of him, and he tilted his head thoughtfully. After a moment, he dipped a claw into a small pool of black ink in the top corner of the table, scratching a few more words at the point where the scroll went blank.

Tsunami glanced from his talons to her mother's. "It's ink, isn't it?"

"Yes, dear," said Queen Coral. She pulled an armful of scrolls out of the cauldron. "A special formula made of squid ink and a touch of whale blood, so it never fades. Immortality is worth a few claw stains, don't you think? Whirlpool invented it. He's terribly clever." She peered at what he had written. "Exactly what I was thinking! This is an exciting one, isn't it?"

"Certain to win all the awards in the kingdom, Your Majesty," Whirlpool said, bringing to mind a rather nasty slug Starflight had once found crushed by the rock in the cave.

"_But who decides what wins the awards, hm?_"

Queen Coral picked out four scrolls from her little pile and gave them to Tsunami. "These are my favorites. You can read them all tonight, and tomorrow I'll give you four of my other favorites."

"Read all these tonight?" Tsunami echoed in dismay, to Starflight's disapproval.

"_Not all that is useful is adventure and fighting._"

_But the rest is just so… boring!_

"Start with this one," Queen Coral said, plucking a scroll free. It was **The Missing Princess**.

"I've read that one!" Tsunami cried. "That was my favorite story ever."

"Really?" Queen Coral looked delighted. Anemone rolled her eyes again, then jumped as she noticed that Gill was no longer in the room. "I wrote it for you!"

"Yes, Riptide said. A message, disguised as fiction. Um, how many of these did you write?" Tsunami asked, indicating the scrolls she held.

"All of them!" Queen Coral waved her talons at all the cauldrons. "I'm really quite prolific. Whirlpool makes sure hundreds of copies are instantly made and distributed wherever we can send them. My communications herald, Moray, is in charge of the printer dragons who make the underwater copies. She also makes sure they go to all the schools, but Whirlpool organized my readings here. Isn't he brilliant?" She lowered her voice and winked at Tsunami. "And don't you think he's very handsome?"

Whirlpool looked up and smiled at Tsunami. It was a rather strained smile which did not reach his eyes. Tsunami seemed somewhat repulsed, and an image of Riptide flew through her mind.

"He'll make a fabulous king one day," Queen Coral added in a loud whisper. Whirlpool's smile became, if such a thing were possible, even more strained, as though all his life's work was being put to the torch by one he trusted, or a carefully balanced plan was being wrecked before his eyes with nothing to be done about it, and he was supposed to be happy about it. Why would he be averse to becoming king?

_Is she seriously throwing him at me?_

Anemone looked hopeful, noticed Tsunami looking, and quickly wiped the expression from her face.

"_Yes, and look. He doesn't like it._"

_Maybe Anemone has answers._

"Anyway, I suppose I should bring you to my chambers. Follow me, and bring the scrolls. They're waterproof," said the queen, taking **The Missing Princess** and placing it back in its cauldron, then shot into the air, circling down towards one of the waterfalls. Following as well as she could while not losing her three scrolls, Tsunami dove under the waterfall into a vast underwater cave. It was lined with waving tendrils of forest green and brilliant gold anemones, stone carvings of dolphins dancing around the entrance. The walls were studded with emeralds and pearls, and the beds were soft expanses of bubbly seaweed. A bed had been made for Tsunami next to Anemone's. The queen turned.

"You can put the scrolls there," she said, pointing at a space next to Tsunami's bed. "You can go visit your friends, but make sure to read those by tomorrow."

"Thank you," Tsunami replied, setting down the scrolls. She turned and left.

In the prisoner's cave, Starflight's eyes opened.

* * *

"She's coming."

"Wait, who? This is no time to play the pronoun game, Starflight."

"Pronoun game? Oh, right. Tsunami."

Clay relaxed. "How long?"

"Any second now."

Sure enough, the three prisoners could hear the guards shift aside as Tsunami entered. "How's it going?"

"Good, good," Sunny answered. "Unless you count being stuck in a cave."

"At least we're not being forced to fight to the death."

All three prisoners gave Tsunami an unimpressed stare.

"Too soon?"

Starflight stepped in before Clay could start arguing with Tsunami, causing him to stare pitifully at Starflight.

"Did you notice where Gill went?"

"No, I thought you did."

"Gill vanished?" asked Clay.

"Yeah. The queen showed Tsunami her hobby, but somewhere between there and the visitor's floor, he disappeared."

"What exactly is this hobby?" Sunny asked, with a hint of alarm.

"Writing."

"Oh."

"You know what's worse than whatever you had in mind?"

"What?"

"She gave me homework."

Clay let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh, the horror!"

"I think you're all forgetting something. Especially you, Sunny," Starflight said sagely.

"What?"

"Riptide already told us about the queen's hobby, remember? But I think there's something about Anemone. When she tried to say what she spends most of her time studying, she was… cut off, and something about her reminds me of you two," Tsunami said, pointing at Sunny and Starflight.

"In what way?" asked Sunny.

"She's really mature for such a young dragonet. Knows how to act well."

"You do remember that those were a result of our hiding our powers and being aware of them?" Starflight asked quietly.

"What if she is?" Tsunami matched her tone to his.

"What?"

"What if she **is** hiding powers?"

"Hiding? Unlikely. She tried to tell you."

"Let me rephrase that. What if she **has** powers?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, why else would Queen Coral stop her from telling us? If she's learning how to fight, for instance, that's not a security risk."

"Haven't the SeaWings had Animuses… Animi? Whatever. Haven't they had those in the past?" Sunny asked quietly.

"They have… almost always in..."

"The royal family!" Tsunami interrupted Starflight.

"That's… not good. I think she's stable, but I wasn't really paying much attention. Probably an Animus… best to keep watch, just in case." Starflight murmured. Raising his voice, he continued. "Regardless, I think you should go find Gill. I wouldn't want to be here if the queen figures out he's missing. He should be somewhere in the pavilion. Glory MIGHT be with him."

"You just want me out of here, don't you?" Tsunami asked with a smirk.

"It's for safety. I felt the guards move aside, so I don't **think** they heard specifics about anything important, but it's a risk," Starflight said apologetically.

"Got it. Feel free to pop in, but I'm going to find Gill, then do my homework. Should be boring."

"Bye!" chorused the prisoners, practically shoving Tsunami out of the cave.

* * *

Tsunami was underwater, chasing… Riptide? Suddenly, he crashed into a whale. The whale made an odd squeak, blinked at the dragons in confusion, and swam on. Riptide shook his head, trying to reorient himself, when Tsunami pinned him to the sand by his tail. She frowned and pointed at the surface.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" said Riptide.

"Hey, sparkling teeth, I totally love three of your claws but not the others, and I wish your nose was a herring so I could eat it, and also your wings sound like sharks snoring."

What? Just… what?

"So how long have you been following me?"

"So how long have you been following me?" Tsunami repeated.

Wait… Tsunami knew Aquatic. She would never say that… gibberish. Would she?

Riptide's wings flared open with a whoosh that scared fish into a nearby reef, lunging towards Tsunami fast as a thrown spear. Tsunami roared, slicing him across the snout, leaving marks that were not there when she introduced Riptide to them. This never happened, thus dream or vision. Likely vision, since Starflight's imagination probably wasn't weird enough to come up with what Tsunami said. The vision shifted.

* * *

"Well," said a young-looking NightWing, certainly no older than Starflight himself. "It seems a little unfair that I have to follow **that**. But hopefully you guys will think this is amazing anyway. Fathom, don't freak out. It was just a little tiny spell."

An Animus dragon? The SeaWing spoke.

"You used your magic again?"

"Ta-da!" said the Animus NightWing, opening his talons. Three sapphires glittered in firelight, shining like captured blue stars. "One for each of us." He passed one to a previously unseen NightWing, about the same age as he. The SeaWing, Fathom, did not reach for his, but the NightWing simply tossed it at him, causing Fathom to jump to catch it. He looked slightly ill as he looked at his sapphire.

"I said **don't** freak out." The Animus batted at Fathom's wing. "You **just** read my soul, remember?" Fathom didn't look very reassured.

"Shh," the Animus continued, tapping Fathom's skull. "Listen. I call these dreamvisitors." He held his dreamvisitor out toward the flames, turning it to make all facets of the gem visible. "You can use it to walk in the dreams of any sleeping dragon you know or have ever seen. This way we can be together even when we're asleep. I can visit either of you in your dreams, or you can visit me. You can even step into the dreams of someone all the way across the continent, if you want to. Although I highly doubt anyone else is having dreams as interesting as ours." He beamed at the other NightWing. "Happy hatching day."

"It's beautiful," she replied, leaning over to hug him. "Isn't it, Fathom? And now we have something that's just ours, the three of us. Because we're best friends."

Wait… Fathom? A SeaWing. Something about Fathom… the canopy! This was the dragon who enchanted the canopy of the Summer Palace! Which meant that the female NightWing was probably Clearsight… no wonder Fathom looked sick looking at the dreamvisitor. He must have already seen the Royal SeaWing Massacre. The vision shifted.

* * *

"And I brought you back from - you were - he did this spell - I brought you back," Fathom said.

"Oh," an indigo SeaWing said, glancing down at her scales, as if wondering whether they were real. "Wow. I guess I did miss something."

"So I'm probably evil now," he said, his voice shaking. "Two spells like that - my soul could be almost gone. You need to know so you can get away from me."

Nope. If he was still concerned about his morality, the indigo dragon had nothing to fear.

"ROARGH," she cried. "Using your magic doesn't make you evil, Fathom! Doing evil things makes you evil! Have you done anything evil lately?"

"Well," he said, faltering. "I betrayed my friend…"

"The supervillain," she put in.

"He's not -" Fathom hesitated. "Yeah, he sort of is."

"Let me guess," she said. "You did something to stop him from killing loooooots and lots of innocent dragons."

"Um," he said. "Yes. How did you know?"

"Because I've met him," she said, "and I could see where that was going. So, sorry, no, doesn't count. Not evil."

"I broke my oath to Pearl -"

"To save dragons."

"To save you."

The other SeaWing shook her head. "Not evil."

"Indigo -"

Oh, her name was Indigo?

"Shush. Fathom, listen. Our choices are what make us good or evil - what we do, how we help or hurt the world. You make the world a better place by being in it. With or without your magic, that's always been true."

Starflight could see a point to that, but all the same, he couldn't help but remember how the edges of Sunny's mind had felt immediately after her spell.

"Not really," Fathom said. "Without my magic, I'm no one special."

"How can you say that?" Indigo replied. "You're an artist. You're my friend. You're kind and funny. I'd call that special."

Indigo and Fathom… oh, yes, Indigo the Animus Slayer.

"You're biased," Fathom said, touching his snout to hers. He looked happy for the first time in that conversation, or at least the part Starflight was hearing.

"I'm right," she said with a grin. They stood there for a moment. "Besides," she continued. "You've stopped **two** actually evil Animus dragons from destroying the world. That's pretty impressive."

"Um," he said. "Well, maybe."

Indigo's reply was lost in a swirl of color and a whoosh of… wind? The vision shifted.

* * *

"Hello, Grandson," said an odd-looking SeaWing, spreading his wings as wide as his smile. "Do you feel powerful today? Ready to do some magic?"

"Yes!"

Opposite the strange dragon, though younger, was indisputably Fathom.

"Let's see those claws," said the other. Fathom held out his front talons and they were inspected, one side and then the other. "Hmmm, yes, very interesting," said Fathom's grandfather. "This talon definitely has more power than that one."

"It **does**?" Fathom asked, awestruck.

"Oh, clearly," said the older dragon with a mischievous smile. "Can't you tell?"

Fathom nodded thoughtfully. "I - yes - of course, it's more - more tingly, like -" he caught the mischievous expression on his grandfather's face. "Wait a minute. You're messing with me!"

The older dragon laughed. "I couldn't resist. I've never had a fellow Animus to tease before."

He said more, but Starflight heard none of it. He was too busy putting together the pieces. A fellow Animus. Fathom's grandfather. Prince Albatross certainly didn't **look** mad at that time…

"All right, then," said Albatross, splashing into the sea. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"My sister wants me to show you my most top secret project," said Albatross, winking at Fathom. "In case I die and you need to finish it, I suppose."

"Oh **no**," Fathom protested. "Never do that! I could never make something as amazing as what you've made."

"You might be surprised," Albatross said. "But as for me never dying, I am also in favor of that plan."

If only he knew… then Fathom would probably have died in the massacre and the mysterious supervillain who was probably also that Animus NightWing who made the dreamvisitors would have killed a lot of dragons.

The SeaWings swam for a long time, Starflight's awareness following them, until they came to… oh. Albatross swam straight through a forest of orange-yellow kelp into a tunnel, Fathom following him. Eventually, they emerged into a wide open lake. Looking around, Starflight could see the cave that would become Blister's, as well as a vast, strange shape in the center of the lake. There was no canopy.

"Oh no," Fathom said worriedly. "What went wrong?"

Albatross remained silent for a moment, then answered. "What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Um… I'm sorry," Fathom stammered. "It's - is it - supposed to look like that?"

"It's not finished," Albatross said lightly. "It's still growing into its final shape. I must admit, I didn't think it would take so long. But when it's done, trust me, it will be the pride of the Kingdom of the Sea."

"Oh, I'm sure it will! Everyone will love it! Because it's a… the best possible… such a cool…" Fathom trailed off.

"It's a new palace, grandson," said Albatross. He turned to the nearest beach. "Entirely grown by Animus power. I call it the Summer Palace - a place where royalty can escape to enjoy the warmest weather of the year."

Fathom scrambled out of the lake, regarding the pavilion alongside Albatross.

"Here's what it will look like when it's finished," Albatross said, opening a box on the beach beside him and pulling out a scroll. Fathom unrolled the drawing and let out a gasp. It was the pavilion, almost exactly as Starflight had seen it just hours before.

"This **is** beautiful," he said. "It's going to grow into this?"

"That's the plan," said Albatross. "I check on it regularly, making adjustments and adding features. It's been growing for more than seven years, so it shouldn't be much longer."

"Seven **years**?" Fathom said, startled. His voice echoed loudly.

"I enchanted it to grow carefully and precisely, like a tree," Albatross said proudly. "Anything faster and wilder could have damaged the ecosystem of the whole island."

"I have an idea," Fathom blurted after a moment.

"Already?" said Albatross. "How… impressive."

"I mean," Fathom said, "I don't know if it's a **good** idea. Or if it would work. Can you use Animus magic on plants?"

"Oh, yes," said Albatross. "I've done that several times."

"Well," Fathom said excitedly. "I was thinking this Summer Palace would be more secure if it was hidden from above. Don't you think? Because right now, any dragon flying overhead can see it. But you could enchant the greenery up there to grow together and create a canopy, couldn't you? Shielding the palace from the sky? But still letting in sunlight through the leaves?"

Albatross tilted his head back to study the top of the island. "Yes," he said slowly. "Yes, that could definitely work. What a clever idea, grandson."

"Can I do it?" he asked. "Can I do it right now?"

"Hold on," said Albatross, putting away the palace sketches. "I - I have to warn you about something. The first lesson of being an Animus is that you must always be careful. Remember this is powerful, powerful magic. It can go wrong very easily. It's so powerful that you can do almost anything, except bring a dragon back from the dead."

"I'll be careful," Fathom promised quickly. "I won't do anything wrong."

"I know," Albatross said, patting Fathom's shoulder. "You're very fortunate. I didn't have anyone to guide me." He hesitated. "Do you know the story of my first Animus spell?"

Starflight listened with horror as Albatross recounted a story of a clamshell, his sisters, and a lot of pent-up rage. How the sisters teased Albatross, taunted him, and finally, one of them, Sapphire, stole his clamshell, taunting him about it all the while. About how Albatross ordered the shell to bite her claws off, Fathom looking as horrified as he felt.

"I know. You are lucky that your talent was discovered in a much less gruesome way," Albatross said, touching his chest absently. "It took several days for all the blood to was away from the beach. Sapphire, of course, could never be queen after that - a dragon with no claws cannot hunt or fight, and as for swimming… well, who looks like a feeble old duck **now**." He barked a dry laugh. "She went a little mad, I'm afraid. Now she is kept on an island far away from everyone else, tended by two very well-paid servants. Lagoon visits her occasionally, but I never have. I assume Sapphire would prefer never to see me again."

He sighed. Fathom looked down at his own talons, subdued.

"I'm not telling you this to scare you," said the older Animus. "But you needed to know so that you'll understand my rules - mine and the queen's. You must listen to me. You must never use your magic unless I am there to supervise you. You must consider every spell carefully for weeks before you cast it, and you must run them all by me first. I know you feel powerful now - I understand that better than anyone. But you are also dangerous."

The vision melted away, replaced by another.

* * *

"Do you think you're done?" a regal SeaWing said to Albatross softly. "Do you think you'll ever be done atoning for what you did to Sapphire? It's not going to end, Albatross. You'll always be mine."

Something clinked in the background. A flash of silver… and a line of red sliced slowly, darkly, murderously across the SeaWing's throat like the widest smile in the world. She lifted a talon to her neck.

"But I'm **the queen**," Queen Lagoon said weakly, falling to the ground, head landing in the fountain. Clouds of blood spilled out, turning the water red and black. Albatross was holding the knife.

The Royal SeaWing Massacre had begun.

For a moment, the only sound in the palace was the dripping of blood from the knife, staining Albatross's claws before falling to the ground. Albatross looked at it curiously, as if it were a charming new pet. Then, there were shrieks of terror as the SkyWing guests took to the sky. Albatross looked at them and held up the knife in open claws. Hummed.

As he hummed the short tune, recognizable as an old SeaWing song Webs had taught the dragonets when they were three, the knife flew through the air and stabbed one of the SkyWings where her jaw met her neck, before ripping itself free to catch the other in the heart.

What made it worse was that the tune was a hopeful, light-hearted one. That, Starflight thought, was sick.

Fathom was still as the red dragons fell to the terrace, shattering glass as they knocked over a jellyfish aquarium. Those poor jellyfish… Starflight would have chuckled if he had a body within the vision.

"Can you stop him?" Indigo asked, grabbing Fathom's arm, yanking him out of his reverie.

"Me?" he yelped. "No! I'm not strong enough! And he's my grandfather - I can't -"

"He just killed your queen and two SkyWings!" Indigo said heatedly.

"But he was angry at them. He won't hurt anyone else, will he? If I try anything, it could just make everything worse."

Starflight couldn't spare a moment to be horrified, he was so shocked at Fathom's statement. If he hadn't known that Fathom would survive, that it would almost certainly be him to kill Albatross… was this defeatist with self-esteem issues truly the same as the dragon who nonchalantly mentioned that his spell hadn't defeated a mad Animus **yet**?

"I'm not taking any chances," Indigo said. "We have to hide you." She dragged him to a path.

"What about my parents?" he said frantically. He tried to pull away. "What about Pearl?"

"We can't get to them, and if Albatross kills anyone else, it'll be you, sure as sunshine."

"Me?" Fathom said. "But -"

Albatross was scanning the terrace with hooded eyes, and a dragon lunged around the fountain, aiming a spear at his heart.

Albatross didn't even turn around. Starflight could clearly see the panic on the assailant's face as her spear turned in her grasp and plunged itself into her chest, pinning her to the ground. He could see the moment the panic was replaced by resignation.

_This… this is madness. How did Indigo survive jumping him with a spear?_

* * *

Sunny knew something was amiss when Clay was awake, but Starflight wasn't. He was fast asleep, twitching and groaning, and even in sleep his face was twisted in fear. A nightmare?

"Starflight! Wake up!" she cried.

* * *

"**Come on**," Indigo cried, pulling Fathom away. Starflight's awareness followed them, so at least he didn't have to watch Albatross kill more dragons. They hurried along winding paths, leaving clouds of scattered petals in their wake. The island was full of long shadows, perhaps still there millennia later. It was likely. One of the moons was rising, a strange orange-red color.

"Should we fly?" Fathom said, panting.

A scream of agony from the sky.

"Easy targets."

Suddenly, Indigo and Fathom were running along a walkway that led to a pavilion. The sun had almost fully set, and the stars were out. A beautiful scene that had no place so near a slaughter.

"Let's swim," Indigo said. "He'll have to search the whole ocean for us."

_Sensible._

"No," Fathom said. "I can't leave - my family - I need to stay close so I know when - when it's safe."

"Then we hide," Indigo said grimly. She circled some odd wooden shapes against the wall for a moment, seize one, then tilted it far enough that Fathom could crawl under it. He held it up for her, and then let it fall quietly back against the wood.

* * *

"Clay, he's not waking up."

"Sunny, he'll be fine. Knowing him, he'll wake up knowing more than he has any right to about the SeaWings."

"Maybe, but maybe not. I'm going in, to try to wake him up from the inside."

"Good luck."

* * *

Starflight noticed something. Namely, that he had a body. Vaguely translucent, but there. As this was a vision, it would have to be undetectable to the dragons in the past… he swiped a claw through the wood hiding Fathom and Indigo. Yes, he was intangible at least.

"Starflight! Are you alright?"

Sunny had appeared next to him, similarly translucent. Starflight jumped in surprise.

"Odd thing to have a nightmare about…"

"It's not a nightmare, Sunny. This is the Royal SeaWing Massacre."

As if on cue, there were more screams from the direction of Albatross. Sunny paled. They could both hear Fathom and Indigo whispering urgently.

"Do you really think he would hurt me? We're partners. He's my grandfather."

"He had no problem killing his sister," Indigo said reasonably. "And you're the only one he has any reason to be afraid of."

"If we die -"

"Shhh. You're not allowed to die," Indigo cut him off.

"Do you think it's true that Animus dragons lose their souls?" Fathom said softly. "Is that why he's doing this?"

Silence for a few moments. Starflight confirmed that he could touch Sunny by leaning against her reassuringly.

"Maybe I shouldn't have run away," Fathom whispered.

"Shhh."

The screams stopped. Starflight half-expected the vision to just end there, but no.

**Creeeak**.

A soft noise drew Starflight's attention back to Albatross, who was walking casually towards Fathom's hiding place.

One.

Step.

At.

A.

Time.

"Grandson." The hiss slithered around the room like smoke. "Hiding like a nervous hermit crab. Interesting choice. One I should have expected, though, from such a little dragonet with such a limited imagination."

"**That's** Albatross?" Sunny whispered.

Starflight simply nodded.

"You may be wondering why you're still alive," Albatross continued, malice dripping from his words. "Especially when your entire family is dead."

"I… could become…" Sunny said, a look of horror on her face.

"Yes. Which is why we have to make sure you will not become… that." Starflight said bluntly. Really, there was no way to weasel out of that admission.

"You know I could easily kill you from a distance. It would barely take a thought. But you've been such a thorn in my side the last few years. Every chance she got - 'I don't really need you anymore. Perhaps Fathom will be better at this than you are. You're so expendable now that I have a replacement. What a pathetic creature you are, little brother, with your tiny teeth and oddly coloured scales. Fathom is so much more presentable than you are.'" Albatross growled.

"So, no, I couldn't dispose of you from afar. That wouldn't be satisfying at all. I want to see your **face** as you die."

Albatross ripped away the only thing between him and the terrified dragonets, Sunny on the verge of tears and Starflight leaning forward. They'd both survive this, after all.

Indigo uncoiled and sprang at Albatross, sinking her front claws into his neck and her back claws digging at his chest, blinding him with flared wings.

"Fathom, get out of here!" she screamed.

Albatross roared in rage and hate. Fathom stood.

He stretched a talon toward the ceiling, and Spoke.

"Spears! Kill my grandfather!"

Fishing spears flew from their places mounted on the ceiling and shot toward Albatross.

"No!" Albatross yelled, fear entering his voice for the first time that night. "Spears -"

Indigo seized his snout, smothering his words, and bit down hard on his ear. Fortunately, Albatross seemed to have forgotten that he could use magic silently in his panic.

A spear smashed into Albatross's back. Albatross twisted Indigo and managed to slice her across the neck as a second spear slammed into his side.

Both dragons collapsed to the floor, blood seeping all over everything.

"Indigo," Fathom cried, beginning to sob. "Indigo." He slid through the blood and pulled her away from Albatross, who's dark eyes glared sightlessly at the moons. He was dead, but Indigo was not. Though seriously, perhaps mortally injured, she was alive and conscious.

"Such an idiot," she whispered, wincing.

"Yes, you are," Fathom said through his tears, and Indigo smiled.

"Told you you weren't allowed to die…" her eyes drifted shut.

Fathom seemed more confident, more sure of himself. "Yeah," he said, "well neither are you." He wrapped his claws around Indigo's pearl necklace and whispered, "Heal this dragon and save her life. Please. Please. Please save her life."

The pearls glowed warmly for a moment, like little moons on a string, and then Indigo's bruises began to fade. The gash in her neck closed up, scales knitting back together.

As Indigo took a long, shuddering breath and opened her eyes, the vision blurred and faded to black.

Starflight awoke.


	13. Council

**Apollo: *Looks into room* Wow, it got dusty in here. Almost a month, and only 4,000 words to show for it. Sorry 'bout that. Three Houses ate our considerable free time. **

**Hermes: My knee hurts. And that's your irregular update on Hermes' well-being. **

**Apollo: You know that referring to yourself in the third person is a sign of madness, right? **

**Artemis: Onto the less... interesting topics, and more inconvenient ones, my laptop broke down a few weeks before school will start, and I won't get it back for a month. Yay. **

**Apollo: It's a bit problematic, seeing as we do all the editing with mine and Artemis' laptops, but I guess we can use Hermes'. **

**Hermes: Do I get a say in this? **

**Artemis and Apollo: You suggested it. **

**Hermes: Shh, they don't need to know that! Just let me complain with no interruptions! **

**Artemis: Interruption. **

**Apollo: HOLD IT! We press on. To answer our reviews now is our purpose here. **

**Artemis: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The haikus are back! **

**Artemis *continuing*: To SwaggyPirateDragon - so... sorry to disappoint you about the length and delay. I am hoping that Auklet can have another sister, but I haven't talked with those bozos yet... you like babies? That's creepy. :D **

**Apollo: Mostly me. And how did you speak a smiley face? **

**Artemis: I'm talented. **

**Hermes: To Blackberry Avar - I agree. Also, to Swaggy, he originally spelled it Waggy. :) **

**Apollo: To clarify, I'm writing all this, these clowns are just sitting beside me. ;) **

**Hermes: Hey, you know what Beethoven's favorite food was? **

**Apollo: Here we go... **

**Hermes: BANANANA! **

**Apollo: And we answered Nameless already via PM. With that concluded, we don't own anything you might recognize, so please enjoy this depressingly short chapter. **

**Artemis: On the bright side, it has Gill! **

* * *

"Starflight!"

Clay was certainly… enthusiastic. Beside him, Sunny was lying down, staring out of the cave at the pavilion with a vaguely sickened look on her face.

"What happened, exactly?"

"You were having a nightmare and wouldn't wake up. Sunny went in to help… what happened to her?"

Starflight moved seamlessly into telepathy. "_Subtlety, Clay. It wasn't a nightmare, it was a vision. Royal SeaWing Massacre. As an Animus dragon, that event impacted her significantly more than it did me._"

Clay thought about that for a few seconds, his face a mask of horrified realization.

"Exactly," Starflight said. "_Now, I need to contact Glory and Gill, and maybe Tsunami. Please try to calm Sunny down._"

Seeing Clay nod, Starflight closed his eyes and stretched out his awareness. Glory wasn't hard to find, seemingly latched onto the canopy above Blister's cave, and already awake.

"_Glory._"

_Starflight._

"_Anything interesting?_"

_Not really, but I didn't exactly go snooping around. On the other hand, I got to test my SeaWing disguise._

"_How did it work?_"

_Surprisingly well. Just use Tsunami's patterns, change them around a bit, make them smaller, get rid of the royal bits, be a bit more green, and they don't realize that you physically __**can't**_ _be a SeaWing._

"_Then again, the only other tribe you could belong to is the RainWings, and who expects a competent RainWing?_"

_Sad but true… you might want to check in with Gill or Tsunami. They probably know a fair bit more than me, what with being able to breathe underwater. Maybe Sunny could make something… _

"_Sunny's in no condition to do magic right now._"

_What did you do?_

"_What did __**I**_ _do?_"

_I'm not saying intentionally._

"_Vision. Royal SeaWing Massacre. Sunny tried to wake me up. She's a bit… shaken. Clay's calming her down._"

_Alright. Now talk to the others, I'll keep hidden._

Starflight looked around. Sunny was now sobbing and curled against Clay. He sought Gill's mind. Probably near Tsunami, given that that seemed to be the royal chambers. His guess was rewarded when he found that Gill was also awake, as were Anemone and Tsunami.

"_Gill._"

No reaction.

"_Gill!_"

_Huh?_

"_It's me, Starflight! You know, the mind-reading, future-seeing NightWing?_"

_Oh… right… so what do you want?_

There was no hostility there.

"_Anything going on?_"

_Council meeting later today. Nothing else._

"_Does Tsunami know the etiquette? I assume there is some procedure, and Webs didn't teach us that._"

_Whale balls… _

"_So she doesn't?_"

_Yes. I need to give her a crash course, don't I?_

"_Unless you want her to accidentally mortally offend Queen Coral and prompt a duel to the death._"

_Don't worry, there's only one insult that severe, and I'm sure she isn't so stupid as to stand up during a meal and slap Coral across the face with a tentacle from the main course._

"_Has that ever happened?_" Starflight asked eagerly.

_Once, about six, seven hundred years ago. That's how the insult was codified. A princess did that, got challenged by her mother, won, and that's how Queen Ray took the throne._

"_That's interesting. Any more?_"

_Perhaps another time… let it be known that there __**are**_ _advantages to being subjected to Whirlpool's lectures… competent and intelligent, but so __**boring**__. _

"_Can you see what Anemone and Tsunami are doing?_"

_They're having a conversation. I don't think Tsunami would appreciate being interrupted. Keep an eye out for when we fly up to the pavilion, you'll probably be able to talk with her then._

"_Thank you._"

* * *

Sunny was still sobbing.

"Sunny?" Starflight asked cautiously.

"W-what?" Sunny asked, slightly muffled by Clay.

"Are you alright?"

Sunny pulled away from Clay long enough to glare at Starflight. "Do I look alright to you?" she asked with some annoyance, then turned back to Clay. "How are the others?"

"Glory's still hiding and Gill needs to give Tsunami a crash course on etiquette. They seem fine."

"That's good, I guess," Clay chipped in.

"Sunny, you alone control yourself. It's your choice alone whether to go down Albatross' path."

"You say that, but…" Sunny drew in a shuddering breath. "That was horrible. His own grandson…"

"He was fine. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Albatross' fall saved Pyrrhia in the long run," Starflight speculated.

"What? How?" Sunny and Clay asked incredulously. "How would a massacre be good in any way?" continued Clay.

"Right, come here…" Starflight whispered. "_I had a couple other visions, involving Clearsight._"

"_The Clearsight? The greatest seer of all time?_" Sunny asked.

"_The same. She and Fathom had a friend, I don't know his name. He was an Animus, and it seems that Fathom was the one who stopped him. From what Indigo said, he would have been far worse than Albatross. Albatross merely had a grudge against his sister. This dragon… you remember what we were taught about the dreamvisitors?_"

Clay and Sunny nodded.

"_He enchanted them. The mystery NightWing. He was able to, on his own, come up with one of the most useful enchantments ever placed, and he did it as a __**hatching day present**__. He went bad, and such a creative dragon… I'm sure he'd still be around if Fathom hadn't stopped him. For all we know, he __**is**_ _still alive. We truly don't know all the limits of magic._"

_So if not for Fathom, we'd all have an immortal, all-powerful NightWing overlord?_

"_Pretty much, Clay. So, Sunny, despite the vision, remember this. Terrible things can lead to great things. It all depends on how you look at it. You can see the massacre, or you can see that if not for that massacre, something even worse might have occurred._"

"Okay," Sunny said aloud, still a little shaky. "I think I get it. But… it still felt cold. So cold."

"I felt you heal from that, and I trust that you'll be able to heal in the future. Now, I just need to check in with Tsunami. If you two will excuse me?" Starflight muttered.

"Of course," Clay rumbled.

* * *

"_Did Gill give you a crash course on etiquette yet?_"

_Yes… and I don't see the point. Why delay the food? Why all these excessive formalities?_

Tsunami was moving around the royal chambers, presumably to prepare for the Council.

"_I get what you mean, but I'm pretty sure it's a symbol of the queen's power over her subject, and like it or not, that includes you for now. Please do not challenge her or get her to challenge you, I don't think Pyrrhia can handle much more chaos without collapsing._"

_I'd win though…_

"_Probably, but do you really want to risk it right now? This is a delicate situation. You are not ready. Also, that's your mother, at least get to know her before you try to kill her. Just follow Gill's lead, you'll probably be fine, and we can figure out everything else. I have a feeling that Blister will be on her way here soon enough. Once that happens, Clearsight knows what will happen. Your job is to make a good impression and to not annoy Anemone too much._"

_But what else are little sisters for?_

"_You wouldn't really know, now would you? I'll be watching the meeting, if that's ok with you, but please don't do anything stupid. We want to get out of here without Sunny having to curse anyone. Not that she's in the mood to, considering she saw a vision I was having of the Royal SeaWing Massacre, and she only just stopped crying._"

_Wait, what?_

"_I was having a vision and she popped in partway through. I wouldn't wake up and she was worried. It was disturbing, to say the least._"

_Well, that's bad. I guess we can only carry on, though._

"_Exactly._"

* * *

The flight to the Council level was uneventful, and when the queen landed, Council members surged from the water or swept down from caves. Coral made her way to the largest pool, labeled 'QUEEN', and settled herself inside it, tugging Anemone in with her. It looked like a tight

fit.

"**Mother**," Anemone protested. "Quit **squashing** me." She wriggled around to a more comfortable position. Gill moved to a nearby pool marked 'KING' while Tsunami stood there awkwardly. Small turquoise dragons brought in platters of food, laying them around the pools as the Council members slipped into their places.

"Oh," said Queen Coral, finally noticing her eldest daughter's predicament. "Tsunami, you can sit there. Tortoise is guarding the hatchery at the Deep Palace, so she won't be joining us today." The queen jabbed a claw at a pool two down from hers, labeled 'DRAGONET CARE' in tiny emeralds.

The pools beside the queen said 'DEFENSE' and 'COMMUNICATION'. Shark splashed down in the first, and a gray-green dragon with eyes like Shark's into the second.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said, bowing and dipping her wings. "I know yesterday was a shocking day, but I hope you slept well. I worried about you all night."

"Thank you, dear," said the queen, scanning the rest of the council. Whirlpool flew up beside the other dragon, his pool labeled 'MAGIC & PUBLISHING'.

_How did he finagle that? And what kind of magic does he know anything about anyway?_

"_The reality-warping kind. Yeah, Anemone's probably an Animus._"

_There go my hopes of a normal family visit._

"_Was that sarcasm I detect?_" Starflight teased.

Starflight and Tsunami recognized one other member of the council, Lagoon in the 'AQUACULTURE' pool. Beyond her, there were also pools designated 'WAR', 'TREASURY', 'JUSTICE', and 'HUNTING'.

_Remind me why this Council is needed?_

"_I guess the queen needs to delegate if she wants time to write that absurd number of scrolls. Speaking of, did you read what you were supposed to?_"

_I'm not THAT irresponsible, Starflight._

The Council waited in silence for a moment, and then the queen spoke.

"I give you all permission to eat."

Gill looked at Tsunami, relieved.

* * *

For a while, the assembled dragons ate in silence. It was an enjoyable meal, well prepared, and Starflight had a feeling that Clay would enjoy NightWing powers. After all, if **he** were able to taste the food someone else was eating, and still be hungry enough for a full meal… his wonderings were cut short by Queen Coral.

"Pearl, report," she ordered.

"No change," said the pale green dragon in the treasury pool. "All your jewels are safe, as always. No scavengers can get to them, and no dragon would dare to try."

"_Unless said dragon were already committing treason and figured that they should compensate themselves for the trouble,_" Starflight thought, eliciting amusement from Tsunami.

"Splendid," said Coral, upending the last of a cauldron of crabs into her mouth. "Shark, report."

"I am concerned about our defenses," he snarled, glaring at the elder princess, but seemingly having the presence of mind to avoid looking at Gill. "The intruders in our midst are a danger to us. We have no idea whether they might have led others to our palace, or what they might be planning."

The rest of the Council stared at him as though he'd suddenly laid an egg. Finally, Gill responded.

"What intruders?" Gill asked lightly, with an edge to his tone. "There are no intruders here, only honored guests of the royal family. No different from Princess Blister, in fact," he finished with a smile.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," said Coral, looking disapprovingly at Shark. "Shark, I would understand it if it was only Tsunami's word on which they were admitted to the palace, but to question the character of those invited by the king is to question Gill himself, and by extension, me. Speaking of the **guests**," she continued, stressing the word. "Lagoon, did you ensure they were served an ample breakfast?"

"_We were, and even if we weren't, you wouldn't be able to protest without either looking foolish or exposing my powers._"

_Good to hear._

The turquoise dragon nodded.

"They can have the rest of this as well." Queen Coral waved her talons at the remains of the Council's breakfast. The same small dragons from before darted up from the kitchen level, collected the platters, and flew down to the cave with them. Tsunami looked down after them.

"_I'm going to have to ask Sunny about Clay's reaction later._"

_Be sure to tell me how it goes._

"Of course," the queen continued. "Certain invisible dragons might not be found in order for breakfast to be delivered to them."

_Where is Glory, anyway?_

"_Knowing her, somewhere on this level, listening to the meeting._"

There was really no way to know where. Even with water all over the floor, it would be useless to look for her silhouette disturbing the water, owing to her skills at hiding. She didn't even need to be on the floor, after all, and even if she was, her scales could mimic an undisturbed floor.

"Whirlpool, report," said the queen, smiling.

Whirlpool touched the hoop in his ear and flared his wings. "Anemone's lessons are going wonderfully," he said.

_I really hate his voice, you know?_

"_Trust me, you're not alone._"

"And your scrolls have never been more popular. The latest has been bought by every single SeaWing in the tribe."

_Not EVERY SeaWing._

"Mostly the underwater editions," the gray-green communications dragon jumped in. "Those tend to sell the best. Of course, I spend all my energy promoting them -"

"But I've organized another reading," Whirlpool interrupted. "Every high-ranking dragon is clamoring to attend. We're charging an emerald apiece this time."

Queen Coral waved her tail thoughtfully. "I want to be sure I'm reaching the eel-eating masses as well, though," she said. "I mean, my writing should be shared with everyone, not just those who can afford it."

"_Admirable, no?_"

_More so if she was focusing on things like social improvement and infrastructure rather than writing countless scrolls._

"_But how do you know she __**isn't**__?_" Starflight asked, leaving Tsunami with no response.

"Of course," the communications dragon said. "That's why the schools have all changed their curriculums again to be sure the dragonets have enough time to read everything you've written. It's the most important subject they study."

_I'll admit that her writing covers a surprising number of topics in a surprising amount of depth… but if she __**is**_ _that brilliant, to be able to grasp such disparate topics with such understanding as well as an ability to convey it, I still think she could do better turning that brilliance to ending the war, or some such._

"_Yes, but this does prove my earlier point. Public schooling. Not all the tribes have that._"

_That would be more impressive if the tribes who didn't were the SandWings, who are currently in chaos, the MudWings, who seem to do things differently anyway, and the RainWings. _

"_But isn't SeaWing public schooling a relatively recent thing? As in, instituted by Queen Coral? And theirs, or should I say yours, are funded by the monarchy rather than through a few wealthy dragons, a distinction shared only by the IceWings._"

"Good, good… Piranha, report." Queen coral snapped her head around to the war pool.

The war commander had seen better days, appearing to be more scars than scales, with one horn snapped in two and several broken teeth.

"A war party returned early this morning," Piranha growled. "Do you want to hear their report?"

Queen Coral sighed. "Call them in."

Piranha yelled over the edge and two soldiers came flying up from a lower level. One was too injured to fly, so the other supported him. They spiraled in a jerking, awkward motion, landing heavily.

The SeaWing who couldn't fly had long burns along his side and one wing was scorched almost entirely black. Claw marks along his underbelly still oozed blood, which dripped into the sparkling channels between the council dragons, staining the pearls red. Tsunami and Starflight noticed the queen giving her decorated floor a concerned look.

_Really? Two horribly injured dragons in front of her, and she's concerned about the __**floor**__?_

"_They probably won't drop dead. Piranha looked like she'd served on the front lines herself, she probably wouldn't deny soldiers treatment when they absolutely needed it right that second._"

The other had a scorch mark in the middle of his tail and a horrible gash in his neck. He was breathing heavily, and bubbles of blood foamed out of his gills.

_That looks serious._

"_But if he returned from the front lines with that injury, he is going to be fine a few minutes longer._"

"Let's hear it," Queen Coral ordered.

"Something strange is happening in the Sky Kingdom, Your Majesty," said the one who couldn't fly. "The battalions - it's as if nobody knows who's in charge. We were patrolling the outer islands, and we were attacked by three separate wings. The first squadron was half SkyWings and half SandWings. During the second attack, we heard the SkyWings yelling 'For Ruby!' and in the third, at least one dragon shouted, 'The queen is not dead! Long live the queen!'"

Queen Coral sat forward, squashing Anemone over to the side. A very undignified squeak was clearly audible. "For **Ruby**?" she echoed.

"One of Scarlet's daughters," growled Piranha. "Does that mean Queen Scarlet is dead?"

_Should we tell them?_

"_Wait, see if they know already._"

"We would have heard if there had been a challenge, surely."

The communications dragon had spoken again. She looked a bit familiar… wait a minute.

"_The communications dragon is called Moray, isn't she?_"

_You forgot?_

"_..._"

_You actually forgot!_

"_Don't tell the others. Please._"

Queen Coral shot a stern look at the blue dragon in the secrets and spies pool. "Why don't you know anything about this?"

"None of my spies have reported in for days," he protested. "I had no idea anything strange was happening in the Sky Kingdom."

The soldier who couldn't fly was leaning more and more dizzily against his companion, puddles of blood soaking their claws.

_I can't just sit here._

"Mother," Tsunami said. "Shouldn't someone look at their injuries?" She pointed at the soldiers.

Coral eyed them up and down. "Anything else to report?"

"Twelve dead," the soldier croaked. "All the rest badly injured."

"But nobody followed you back?" demanded Shark. Gill glared at him. Shark glared back. Coral sighed.

"We were careful," he promised, wincing in pain. "We took the longest routes back."

"Very well." Queen Coral waved her talons dismissively. "You may go." She flicked her tail at the smallest Council member, in the 'DRAGON HEALTH' pool, who ushered the soldiers away. Moray immediately jumped out of her own pool and started cleaning up the blood on the floor.

_Suckup._

"If there is chaos in the Sky Kingdom, maybe this is the time to strike," Coral said. "This could be our chance to finish off Burn's alliance. We could finally end the war!"

"We don't know enough," growled the spymaster. "If Scarlet is dead, how? Did Ruby kill her, or is she fighting with her sisters for the throne? And we must take into account that while Blaze is an imbecile, Glacier is not. If we are weakened badly enough taking on the MudWings and the SkyWings, as well as Burn's SandWings…"

Moray hissed. "We'd be destroyed for sure."

"Maybe Burn took over?" Piranha suggested. "She would, if she was there."

"Scarlet's daughters might not listen to Burn the way Scarlet did," Moray pointed out.

"What could have happened?" Coral wondered. "Queen Scarlet was so strong."

Tsunami shifted uncomfortably.

_Should I tell them?_

"_There might not be a way to avoid it. We'd need to figure out a story editing out Glory's venom and Sunny's magic…_"

In the end, Gill took the decision out of their hands.

"Instead of running around like panicked scavengers, maybe you could, I don't know, ask the dragons who were there?"

Every Council member turned to look at Gill, who pointed at Tsunami, smirking as he did so. Tsunami glared at him.

"That… might have been us," Tsunami admitted.

"You!" barked Piranha, respect clear in her demeanor.

"Ridiculous," snarled Shark.

"You never **did** tell me how you broke Gill out of SkyWing custody…" Coral mused.

"Alright, alright," Tsunami grumbled. "Queen Scarlet found us under the mountain," she went on. "She held us prisoner in her palace, and when we escaped, we sort of might have seriously injured her. She might be dead, I don't know, but what I can tell you is this - the attack that incapacitated her was meant for Burn. I was across the arena -"

"The arena?" Coral lunged out of her pool in a panic, swarmed across the stone, and seized Tsunami's front talons in her own, clutching them so hard it was a little painful. Behind her, Anemone was yanked half out of the pool with a squeak of protest, but Coral didn't seem to notice.

"You were in the arena?" the queen cried.

Shark looked horrified. Starflight wasn't sure if it was because the dragonets had been in the arena or if it was because they escaped it.

Tsunami blinked. "Yes…"

"Just to be clear, we're talking about the same arena, right? Scarlet's doom arena?"

"It didn't seem especially doomy, but yes. We are."

"Tell. Me. Everything."

Tsunami seemed mildly uncomfortable. Gill looked positively gleeful.

"Well, as I said, Queen Scarlet found us under the mountain, so she took us to the arena. We were there for a couple of days, during which her champion, Peril, took a liking to Clay, and then Clay was put in the arena. He beat his opponent, obviously, and then we tried to escape. We failed, then, on Scarlet's hatching day, I was put in the arena against Gill -"

Gill's grin slipped. Queen Coral shrieked in horror. Anemone winced, covering her ears. Finally, the queen calmed down long enough to bark an order.

"Council dismissed!"

* * *

"Now," the queen said shakily after the Council had left, Gill and Tsunami staying behind. "What's this I hear about Gill being in the arena?"

Tsunami looked at Gill. "You tell her!"

Gill shook his head quickly. "No, you tell her!"

"You were there!"

"So were you!"

"But you're the one who was there more!"

"Um… I plead trauma?"

"Fine."

That settled, Tsunami turned back to her mother. "Scarlet had him dehydrated for months until he basically lost his mind, then put him in the arena against me. Something about refusing to fight when sane… anyway, I won, Scarlet decided to spare him for some reason, and she put Starflight in the arena with me."

"What happened?" asked the queen apprehensively.

"We cracked a few jokes at the expense of the audience. Honestly, Starflight was brilliant in there, he even got in a jab against Queen Oasis when Scarlet sent in the scavengers. He'd managed to cook up a plan for our escape, told Clay to have us bring Gill with us, and then the NightWings came and took him away. We escaped and met up with him at a point he'd chosen, and he somehow convinced Morrowseer to drop him off there. Sometime during the escape, Glory lunged at Burn, but Burn used Scarlet as a shield."

"_Good save._"

_Thanks._

Tsunami continued on. "Luckily, Gill was asleep, so he didn't resist. We'd arranged to meet along the Diamond Spray River, so Gill was conveniently distracted by the water. It took him a few days to recover, and we came here."

"_That's… a very good cover story. You managed to edit out magic and venom somewhat convincingly._"

Coral laughed. "So you're telling me that Scarlet was horribly injured, to the extent of one of her daughters claiming the throne, by a **RainWing**?"

"Yep."

"All's well that ends well, I suppose. I'll be in my chambers, you both can just… I don't know. Visit your friends or something. Come, Anemone." The queen nudged the younger princess and flew away.

"So why were you so smug earlier?"

"What, when Coral asked you what happened in the Sky Kingdom?" Gill asked innocently.

"Yes," Tsunami responded bluntly.

"I was just happy that you were doing the explaining instead of me!"

"_I'll just be going now…_"

With acknowledgement from Tsunami, he withdrew from her mind. In the cave, he opened his eyes. There was no food.

"Clay…"

"What?" Clay asked.

"I know the queen sent down more food. Did you seriously eat my share?" Starflight asked wearily.

"I didn't do it!" Clay responded indignantly. Both of them looked over to the third occupant of the cave.

Sunny waved cheekily. "What?" she asked cheerfully. "I eat when I'm upset! You know that!"


	14. Ambush

**Apollo: *Boots GLaDOS out of the room* We're back! After a month. Yay. **

**Artemis: Isn't GLaDOS from Undertale? **

**Hermes: [REDACTED] **

**Apollo: Hermes, if you keep swearing, I'll keep redacting. **

**Hermes: [REDACTED] **

**Apollo: No, Artemis, she's from Portal. **

**Hermes: Dear readers, I want you to imagine that you are in a room. There are no doors, windows, or other exits that you can see. How do you escape? **

**Apollo: This month has been hard. We adjusted well enough to the school year starting, but then all of us got sick. The others lost motivation to write, and we only really finished the chapter a few days ago. On the other hand, my sleep-deprived brain came up with a prophecy! **

**Artemis: To Blackberry Avar - we did want to make Clay more than just the friendly dumb guy. Coral is very much a peacetime ruler, and in that she lives up to her propoganda, but in war... not so much. Gill was also running the show canonically, and he got captured when he had to take over EVERYTHING. About the food-slapping - worldbuilding! **

**Apollo: To clarify, Tui doesn't say that's possible, but she also doesn't say it's IMpossible, and we think it's funny. **

**Artemis: Thanks. The reason he's not really so grateful outwardly is that inwardly, he's not entirely sure it's not all just a dream. Also, we decree that he's always been snarky. That said, he's more inclined to cynicism. Hermes? **

**Hermes: To JayTheAltaria, the 3 guests who are probably the same person, and Antoxydre, thanks. **

**Apollo: To the final guest to review, thanks, but we haven't quite come to an agreement. My personal take on it is that Moon's not going to be so easy to find. **

**Artemis and Hermes: We want them to meet. **

**Hermes: So what do you think about the Moon issue and the riddle? **

**Apollo: We don't own Wings of Fire. **

* * *

As the queen dismissed the Council, Whirlpool was contemplative. His earlier work to convince Coral to marry Anemone off to him was backfiring spectacularly. Instead of waiting, Coral was pouncing on the opportunity to marry off her **elder** daughter, who had already survived the SkyWing arena. Whirlpool had heard stories of that place. Once you entered, you never left. Coral's spies attributed this to the queen's champion, Danger or something like that. But now Scarlet was gone, and Tsunami was involved. Further complicating the situation was the fact that Tsunami was a Dragonet of Destiny. Whirlpool **could not** get in the way of her destiny, for so long as the war persisted, Coral was more difficult to manipulate, less carefree and consequently, careless. In addition, the war was not good for the SeaWings, who should have stayed out of it to begin with. They had no real stake in the war. Blister's promise of MudWing land was not why they had joined the war, and so many forgot that. That promise came only after the MudWings defected from Blister's side to Burn's, and nothing could change the fact that when the SeaWings had entered the war, there was no point to it. Whirlpool had only agreed to ensure that the SeaWings remained with Blister after the defection, after Coral had committed them. When the prophecy came, it was as if a sign from Fathom himself. On the other claw, he had adapted to the war, solidifying his position within Coral's inner circle. Regardless, the end of the war was a beneficial outcome, and so when Nautilus had approached him, he had agreed to provide information. It had been he that provided the information on shift changes that Nautilus relayed to Webs, allowing him to drug the guards and steal Tsunami's egg from the Royal Hatchery. With the war over, he could keep working, convince Coral to let him marry Anemone instead. Tsunami was simply a complication to the plan, one that could be worked around, and so Whirlpool plotted. He would test her, and if she failed, no one would be able to trace the murder to him. And if she survived… such an experience would drive her closer to her family. She seemed to be an emotional dragon, unable to raise a claw against one she loved. Anemone had no such compunctions. Now, to await an opportunity…

* * *

Starflight stared hard at Sunny, frowning, but noticeably hiding a smile.

"I'm not sure whether to be more annoyed at you for stealing my food or for being so cheeky while admitting it."

Sunny remained silent for a few minutes, and Starflight gave in to his smile. The mock confrontation now more closely resembled a staring contest. Sunny won. Starflight cursed. Clay cuffed him with a wing.

"Language."

"Clay…"

"No. We're technically foreign dignitaries, looking at it one way. You **will** conduct yourself with dignity!"

"I'd be more convinced if I wasn't watching you in the Mud Kingdom."

"Fair enough…"

"Your Highness!"

The guards were exclaiming, and Starflight could see their shadows bowing. Tsunami walked into the cave, noticing the divide between Starflight and Sunny.

"What happened?"

Sunny grinned unrepentantly. Starflight affected a wounded look.

"Tsunami, you know those leftovers Her Majesty sent?"

"What about them?"

"Sunny ate my share."

Tsunami let out a soft "Ah," of comprehension. She winked at Starflight. "So how have you all been? Glory still hiding?"

Tsunami wasn't stupid, Starflight knew. This redundancy was for the guards, who would doubtlessly report back to Queen Coral.

"We've been fine, and we haven't seen Glory," Starflight responded. "You? How's life as a princess?"

"It's fine, I guess. I never thought I'd miss Kestrel and Dune, though."

"Yeah, they grow on you."

"Like fungi, maybe," Clay interjected.

"I hope Dune made it, and that Peril doesn't accidentally kill him," Starflight concluded.

Tsunami looked at Starflight, tapping a claw to her head. Starflight knew a cue when he saw one.

_You're revealing that Peril is on our side?_

"_Yes. They have a reason to treat us well, but should Blister or Shark decide otherwise, I want a rumor that we're on good enough terms with one of the most dangerous dragons in Pyrrhia that we casually namedrop her. They don't need to know that she's gone to Jade Mountain._"

"So, any particular reason you came here?" Sunny asked.

"No, I just wanted to check on you three. Helps that I have nothing else to do… even in the arena, at least we could watch the fights."

"Maybe explore a little? As long as you're careful, and clear it with the queen first, there shouldn't be a problem."

"_I sense Riptide on that island that looks like a skeleton if you want a particular destination._"

"I think I'll do that. Thanks, Starflight," Tsunami said, turning to leave. "Oh, and Sunny?"

"Yes?" Sunny asked, drawing out the word.

"Please refrain from eating Starflight's portions in the future. I know you're a growing dragonet, but Starflight needs to put some meat on his bones," she declared, grinning.

* * *

Blaze smirked. All was falling into place…

"I win."

Queen Glacier sat across from her, a board with carved pieces between them. Blaze looked again, the smirk disappearing from her face. As much as she hated to lose, games like these were essential for keeping up her ruse with Glacier. Certainly, had she defended against Glacier's attack with the obvious move, Glacier's pieces would not be able to recover in time to defend against Blaze's attack, but that was hardly an action a concussed sheep would think of. Only the thrill of victory stopped Glacier from realizing just how close she had come to defeat, and Blaze looked forward to the day that she could finally allow herself to beat Glacier in the Game of Queens. Still, as annoying as it was to have to lose, such games were a welcome distraction from the all-consuming flames engulfing her plans following Scarlet's capture of the Dragonets of Destiny. A few more days had passed, and with that time more information was trickling in. One captured SandWing had revealed upon being rescued that she had witnessed part of what brought down the SkyWing queen. It had apparently begun with two SeaWings, one of the dragonets and a captured soldier, being made to fight each other. The dragonet won fairly easily, and for some reason the queen agreed to spare the soldier, proceeding to send in the NightWing. Queen Scarlet released scavengers, something about a comedy routine… and then ordered IceWing prisoners to be sent into the arena. The NightWings took offense, extracted the NightWing dragonet, and killed all the IceWings in the arena. The queen was furious, deciding to pit her champion against the MudWing, but then the crazy parts started. If the soldier's testimony was truthful, the RainWing that Scarlet had been using as a decoration broke her chain and lunged at Burn, who used Scarlet as a shield and fled for some reason. Blaze frowned.

"What's wrong, Blaze?"

Camel spit, she hadn't meant to actually frown.

"Nothing, Glacier… I think I'm going to my rooms. Same time tomorrow?"

"If you're still sure you want to lose again."

Taking the cue, Blaze nodded and stood. As she walked to her chambers in a different section of the fort, she continued to ponder the SkyWing Incident. The soldier reported that Queen Scarlet had acquired the RainWing at the same time as the dragonets, and only the MudWing, SeaWing, and NightWing were mentioned. Where were the SandWing and SkyWing? The soldier reported seeing an odd dragon that appeared to be a deformed SandWing flying south with the dragonets, an older SkyWing, and the champion, minus the MudWing who apparently went ahead with the SeaWing's opponent, but there was no SkyWing dragonet. It was no secret that Burn and Scarlet had destroyed the SkyWings who would have hatched on the brightest night. Could it be the champion? No, it was well attested that she had hatched the year before the brightest night, she couldn't be a part of the prophecy. The prophecy dragonets would probably stick together, so where was the Wings of Sky? The only dragons to leave connected with the known dragonets were the two SkyWings, that one SeaWing, and the… the RainWing. Blaze cursed under her breath. Could the RainWing be the Wings of Sky? It would make sense. After all, the MudWing was obviously in the prophecy, and it referred to him as Wings of Earth, not Wings of Mud. If the RainWing were the fifth prophecy dragonet, it would fit. That would mean that RainWings, contrary to popular belief, could be dangerous. Worse still, their inherent abilities meant that, should they choose to, they could be the ultimate assassins, undetectable until they struck. Huh. Fuel for paranoia.

* * *

Blister smirked. Her plans were accelerating to their conclusion. The incapacitation of the SkyWings, while inconvenient in the short term, would prove useful in the event that Morrowseer failed. Certainly, she would have to make more mistakes whenever Blaze got eager and tried to finish Burn's alliance, but she had been managing the war for twelve years. Really, she couldn't lose - she cut herself off. Such overconfidence could be fatal. Blister re-assessed the situation. In the event that Morrowseer succeeded, she would be queen. If he failed, she would destroy Burn's weakened alliance before driving Blaze's SandWings into the Great Ice Cliff. A pity. Blaze could have been great had Burn not countered her claim to the throne, a princess accessible to the masses and as such, a way for Blister to evaluate the general mood of her kingdom, while at the same time being physically and mentally inferior to Blister. Burn, on the other hand, could not have been allowed to remain. Whether by poison or by her own claws, Blister would have had to get rid of Burn in any case, simply to avoid the startlingly likely eventuality of a royal challenge from Burn. In the meantime, the current situation had to be maintained. But… yes. That shouldn't impact the plan much, and it would give her a way to know in advance just how likely Morrowseer's plan was to work. Hastily informing her generals of her impending departure, Princess Blister flew from her camp on the outskirts of the rainforest. Her destination - the Summer Palace of the SeaWings.

* * *

Burn… very much didn't smirk. In fact, an observer unafraid for their life would describe her expression as 'murdery'. Such an observer, if they knew what her last few days were like, wouldn't be able to blame her in the slightest. Unfortunately, there were no such observers nearby. Perhaps Qibli or Thorn in the Scorpion Den, Blister near the rainforest, Peril and Stonemover in Jade Mountain, or the Dragonets of Destiny in the Kingdom of the Sea would be such observers, but Burn had no way of knowing who most of those dragons were, nor were those dragons anywhere near the center of her power.

Burn's Stronghold.

Standing tall and proud in the middle of the desert, it had been attacked multiple times by Blaze's SandWings, never falling, always exacting a heavy toll from the attackers. Within those walls, she was safe. That is, until a RainWing had broken her chain within Scarlet's palace, lunged at her, and when she used Scarlet as a shield, **melted Scarlet's face**. Scarlet survived, of course, but it had been a **RainWing** who did it to her. What to do…

Well, she couldn't go and invade the rainforest. She had been fighting a war on two fronts for twenty years, and the combined forces of Blaze and Blister would have been enough to defeat her years ago if not for the fact that they both kept making critical mistakes on the edge of victory, which while expected of Blaze, was highly unusual for Blister. Attacking the rainforest when the RainWings could melt dragons would be suicide with the SkyWings divided. The MudWings had been mainly fighting the SeaWings since they defected to Burn, after all, leaving the SkyWings and what few SandWings followed Burn to contain Blaze's alliance. No matter how much she would love to, she simply couldn't abandon the IceWing problem while the SkyWings couldn't hold off the IceWings due to internal conflict. The only reason that the front hadn't yet fallen was that Queen Scarlet lived, imprisoned in the weirdling tower while she recovered. Had she died, all the SkyWings would have followed Ruby, who would likely have ended the SkyWing participation in the war, secure in the knowledge that Burn would be unable to divert forces to crush her. On the other claw, Blaze could be relied on to fail… there were SeaWings within the Talons of Peace. If one of them could be persuaded to return home, Crocodile could follow them to the hidden SeaWing palace… just then, a messenger ran into the throne room.

"My Queen! I have news!"

"Well, out with it. Just saying that you have news is useless, after all…"

The messenger paled further from his off-white shade. "The spy Crocodile has managed to convince a SeaWing to beg Queen Coral's forgiveness, Your Majesty."

Burn's murderous expression disappeared, replaced by a mask of triumph. "Wonderful! Tell the MudWings and what loyal SkyWings we have to prepare an assault, and to bring dragonflame cacti. Once Crocodile reports back with the location of the SeaWing palace, they are to destroy it. Raze it to the ground. We will keep this front secure in the meantime."

"Yes, My Queen!"

* * *

Starflight was bored. It had been a few hours since Tsunami had left, which left them with very little to do. Glory seemed to be testing just how unobservant the guards could be by impersonating random SeaWings, Sunny was trying to banter with the guards, and Clay was asleep. As for Starflight himself, he was trying to gaze into the future, but no matter what he tried to find, he saw only the brightest night above what was likely the Sand Kingdom, coupled with a vague feeling of dread. Tsunami burst out of the tunnel in a very eye-catching splash, looking agitated.

"_What happened?_"

The burst of hostility was unexpected. _Did you know I would be attacked?_

"_What._"

_I was jumped in the tunnel. Moons-begotten coward ran away when I threw them off._

"_I had no idea that would happen. Are you all right?_"

_I'm fine. I need to go find my family, tell them what happened. Can you help?_

"_Sure. Mind if I see what happens?_"

_No harm in it._

"_They're on the library level._"

Tsunami spiraled into the air, quickly arriving beside Coral, Anemone, and Gill.

"Hello, dear," Queen Coral said as Tsunami landed. She was surrounded by scrolls, several of them half unrolled. Anemone was curled on a curved white boulder beside her, Gill standing behind her, both looking bored out of their minds. "I've been reading out loud to your sister. It's her favorite part of the day. We've just finished the story of how I chose Gill to be my husband."

"Such a **thrilling** tale," Gill said in a monotone. Coral looked at him, wounded. "Don't you like my writing?" She said, voice quavering. Tsunami had seen Sunny fake tears enough to know that Coral was joking.

"I prefer it when I haven't already lived through it, Coral. It was a lot better being part of it than reading about it," Gill said, totally deadpan.

Coral smiled, all traces of sadness gone. "I know, Gill. I'm happy you and Anemone are getting along so well, I simply -"

"Mother -" Tsunami started.

"-can't wait for the war to be over so that we can all spend time as a family, and -"

"**Mother**," Tsunami interrupted firmly. Gill's gaze sharpened. "Someone just tried to kill me."

Gill frowned. "Where, how long did it take you to fight them off, and how did you do it?"

"In the tunnel into the palace, a minute or two, and I blinded them, twisted out of their hold, and they were gone."

**Plip. Plip. Plip.**

Queen Coral simply sat there, an expression of fury forming on her face, ink dripping from her talons. "Who **dared**?"

"I don't know, but they must be here now," Tsunami said. "Somewhere in the palace. We should gather everyone and -"

"It can only be one of something like thirty dragons, and depending on how many are at the Summer Palace -" Gill cut Tsunami off, being cut off in turn by Coral's panicked yelp. "The eggs! The eggs must be in danger!" She started flinging scrolls back into cauldrons.

"What eggs?" Tsunami asked bewildered. Gill stared for a second, then his expression turned horrified, then gleeful.

"Two eggs with female dragonets," Anemone explained to Tsunami. "They're in the Royal Hatchery, in the Deep Palace. They're due to hatch in a couple of days."

"And if someone attacked you, they'll probably go after the eggs, too!" Queen Coral cried. She dashed to the edge of the pavilion. "Moray, Whirlpool, hurry!"

"My attacker is here, I'm sure of it. Not at the Deep Palace," Tsunami said.

"_No use, she's not going to back down. Look at Gill. Something's going on here._"

"So we have to get there first," Queen Coral insisted.

"This could finally be our chance to find the one who's been killing our daughters…" Gill murmured to Coral. Coral nodded. "Yes… they will be avenged."

"But we could catch them here."

"And if you're wrong, two more of your sisters will never hatch. It's always best to make sure," Gill said sternly. Tsunami deflated.

"Mother, what about Tortoise?" Anemone asked. "She's supposed to guard them, isn't she? That's Mother's Council chief of dragonet care," she explained to Tsunami. "This week, anyway."

"The others have all failed me," Queen Coral said with a grimace. "Tortoise probably will as well. She didn't even want the job. Nobody wants it! The most important duty in the Kingdom of the Sea, and all my cowardly subjects hide from it. MORAY!" she bellowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Moray slithered up from the level below.

_Does she look like she might have just been in a fight?_

"_Not really. D'you think she has a motive?_"

_She seems to hate me for some reason._

"_What I can tell you is that if she was close enough to slither instead of fly, she could have come when your mother called the first time. It's probably nothing._"

"Moray, we must get to the Deep Palace at once," Queen Coral said. "I feel that my eggs are in danger. My scales tell me so."

"Why aren't we going immediately?" Tsunami asked.

"Backup. If the one who attacked you was brazen enough to strike in the very entrance to the Summer Palace, then they might try again at the Deep Palace. The more backup, the better." Coral explained.

_I did __**not**_ _think she could actually give a coherent argument for that._

The queen turned to Moray. "I wish you would guard them, dear. You never fail me."

"But everything I do for your scrolls is so terribly important," Moray said. "They're like your other children, really. I couldn't abandon them."

"That's true," Queen Coral said, pulling Moray in for a hug. Unknown to Coral, Moray was glaring daggers at Anemone behind her back. Gill glared back. Anemone stuck her tongue out.

"I sent Shark on ahead this morning after breakfast, but he never worries enough," the SeaWing queen said, clicking her claws together. "He doesn't even believe there's an assassin. He thinks it's all bad luck. He's lucky he's my brother - and your father, Moray - so I let him live. WHIRLPOOL! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Anemone winced at the sudden shouting.

_That got dark fast._

"_It got dark the moment someone attacked you._"

"Stay very close to me in the Deep Palace," the queen ordered Tsunami. "We really have to put a rush order on a harness for you. They've been working on two for the new dragonets, but clearly yours is an emergency."

"Coral, she doesn't need a harness. I don't know what training she has, but it was obviously sufficient to fight off an ambush in a confined space. I'm assuming it was an ambush?"

Tsunami nodded. Gill continued. "If she's anywhere near backup, she'll be fine." He turned to Tsunami. "That said, you **do** need to stay close."

Tsunami nodded again.

_I'm just quickly going to tell Gill what training you got._

"_Alright._"

Starflight withdrew from his immersion into Tsunami's mind, latching onto Gill and broadcasting a message.

_Gill, it's Starflight. We all were trained for around seven years by a SkyWing ex-soldier by the name of Kestrel. By the skill level compared to the guards at the palace, I'd say she was one of the best._

Starflight returned to Tsunami's point of view just in time to witness Gill jump in surprise, noticed only by Coral's daughters. Whirlpool landed beside Coral.

"Many apologies, Your Majesty; I was distributing scrolls to the kitchen staff."

"To the Deep Palace, with all speed," Queen Coral declared, diving over the edge so suddenly that Anemone was yanked off her talons after her, eliciting a rather adorable squeak which Starflight suspected the young princess would deny unto her dying day. Tsunami followed, caught in a swarm of dragons midair as the entire Council followed their sovereign. She was pushed into the middle and found herself swimming beside Whirlpool.

_Wait, I need to check on you guys!_

"_We're fine, go make sure your sisters are safe._"

Out in the sea, Queen Coral immediately found a current and swept off. One by one, each of the dragons followed her. Wait… was that Riptide?

Indeed it was, and Tsunami realized it too, if the vague sense of fond annoyance was any indication. He was following Tsunami to the Deep Palace. Above them, rain started to fall.

After a while, an island loomed before them, with immense coral reefs clustered all around it. Orange branches twined around purple star-shaped clusters. Lacy rust-colored fans sprouted from pale pink umbrella shapes. Blue-and-silver fish darted in and out of the holes.

The SeaWings exited the current and swam around the bend of the reef, the lead dragons ducking into a canyon in the ocean floor. Tsunami followed them, eyes adjusting to the gloom, but the image was fading.

"_Tsunami, you're leaving my range. I'll try to See what happens, but you're on your own. Good luck._"

Starflight's eyes opened within Blister's cave, and he blinked away a mild headache.

* * *

"So how's it going?"

Starflight's head snapped to a section of wall next to Sunny. His eyes told him there was nothing there, but he knew otherwise.

"Glory. How long have you been there?"

"Since all the important dragons left. I figured you could tell me why."

"Someone tried to kill Tsunami."

In retrospect, he probably should have told the others to keep quiet before telling them that. Sunny squeaked in surprise, Glory shimmered acid green for a moment, and Clay woke up.

"Whuh…"

Glory rounded on Starflight, shifting back into visibility. "Tell. Us. Everything."

"I only know as much as she told me. She got jumped in the tunnel on the way back here, went to tell the queen, and then everyone leaves for the Deep Palace," Starflight whispered.

"Is… is she ok?" Sunny asked timidly.

"She's fine. I get the feeling Gill won't be letting her out of his sight while they're at the Deep Palace… they think that whoever's been killing Tsunami's sisters is going to go after the two currently in the Royal Hatchery."

"Oh… good," Sunny muttered, yawning. "So, Glory, gonna keep hiding?"

"Of course!" Glory said, looking vaguely insulted.

"Of course, how could we ever doubt you," Clay snarked from his spot across the cave.

"Well… see you guys around, I guess," Glory riposted. "Seeing as you won't really be going anywhere soon, that is." She gradually faded back into invisibility, the last thing disappearing being her grin and her eyes, emerald green and penetrating. Starflight sensed her leave the cave.

"I guess we should sleep then," Clay declared, making good on his intent moments later.

"I'll try to See what's going on outside, Sunny. Just get some rest, we're probably safe here."

"Night…"

Starflight lay down and closed his eyes, trying to call upon the mysteries of the future… and trying… and trying…

* * *

A volcano, spewing ash, dust, and lava, a line of NightWings escorted by RainWings proceeding down a tunnel.

* * *

A regal RainWing standing before an easel with a target painted on it. She opened her mouth and spat a spray of venom, striking the target dead center. A small dragonet, half her size, stepped up and sprayed her venom in the exact same location. The older RainWing made an approving sound, patted the dragonet on the head, tilted her head, and sprayed venom at a second target. Center again, and so was the dragonet's shot. The elder opened her mouth a third time, and a small fuzzy creature fell from the trees above, landing in front of the board. The dragonet leaped forward, shoving it out of the way, only to be struck in the wing with three drops of the same kind of acid that melted Queen Scarlet's face.

* * *

"It's my throne anyway," the elder said to another RainWing. "I have merely tolerated all of you on it because I thought experience might transform you into worthy queens." She shot a disgusted look at three other dragons standing nearby. "That theory turned out to be quite wrong."

"You don't know anything about this dragon," the RainWing complained, pointing at - was that?

It was Glory, resplendent in gold, but with green racing along her wings, still a dragonet.

"I know she'll be a better queen than you," said the elder, the queen. She turned to the RainWings gathered there with a sweeping gesture.

"Behold! Your new queen! Queen Glory of the RainWings!"

The assembled RainWings cheered wildly.

* * *

Three moons over a desert. Dread.

* * *

A dragon made of stone, lying before Sunny and an older SandWing with a moonstone pendant on a copper chain.

* * *

A NightWing dragonet with silver teardrop scales by her eyes, a black leather pouch hanging from her neck.

* * *

Peril reaching out in an arguing group consisting of the NightWing dragonet, a SeaWing who looked very much like Fathom, a small SandWing dragonet with an amber earring, an IceWing, and the RainWing dragonet who was struck with venom, grasping a scroll and burning it to ashes.

* * *

Chains. Wait a minute… this wasn't a vision. There were actual SeaWing guards actually chaining Clay to the ground as he slept.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry," responded one of the guards, "but orders are orders. The commander wants to ensure that none of you escape."

"So we **are** prisoners. I could have sworn I heard His Majesty say 'honored guests'. Does Commander Shark feel that he can countermand the king's instructions, backed by the queen's will?"

"I'm afraid so. If we don't do this, we lose our jobs and possibly our lives, and if we do this, we still get in trouble when this gets found out."

"In that case, I'll make sure to tell Tsunami that you guards didn't really have a choice in the matter. That is, if she doesn't figure that out herself. Just, please, when she inevitably comes charging to wherever you are demanding the key, don't resist. Oh, and don't chain Sunny. She won't leave the rest of us here."

Of course, that wouldn't stop her from simply spelling the chains off of Clay and whoever else was chained up, contacting Glory, and blasting her way out, but the guard didn't need to know that.

"But then what do we tell our commander? He wanted all of you chained," said the hapless guard.

"Um… tell him that I foresaw this and told Tsunami what could happen, and told her to be far harsher and encourage Her Majesty to do the same if you chained all of us. That should work."

"Thank you, and once again, sorry about this. I… I heard about how you all escaped the SkyWing Palace. My cousin is a prisoner there, and by the sound of it, Ruby isn't doing the gladiatorial matches. You dragonets probably saved her life," the guard whispered, approaching Starflight with more chains.

"It's no bother at all. Um, not too tight, please?"

"Of course."

* * *

This is how it feels to be Darkstalker, forever.

You are trapped in eternal sleep. You know not whether it has been five minutes or five centuries, or even five eons, but all the while, you dream. Sometimes, the dreams are good - possible timelines where you lived a happy and long life with Clearsight, raising several dragonets who went on to start their own families, Whiteout living happily with Thoughtful nearby. In those timelines where you are on the throne, you see yourself ruling kindly and justly, leading the NightWings into a golden age of peace and progress. When you are not, you see yourself doing whatever you can to help your tribe, whether that means cursing weapons to turn on their owners when the IceWings attack or enchanting the land to grow a bounty when there is an especially cold year. No matter what dream, you hardly ever see your father, and your mother is happy.

Sometimes you have nightmares.

You see yourself go mad with power, slaughtering the royal family and anyone who tries to stop you, up to and including Clearsight herself, and you see that many of those paths begin with Clearsight returning to free you. You see many versions of a duel when Fathom finally decides that enough is enough and challenges you, hoping to destroy you both for he believes that he will surely go mad from the duel. You see reality twist and warp on itself, Fathom standing resolute in an island of stability, turning the air to fire within your lungs not knowing that you foresaw that attack the day before, enchanting the earth to reach up and snare you even as you send howling gales to try to rend the flesh from his bones. You see, almost always, you triumphing as Fathom is reduced to ashes, smashed flat, simply drops dead. You see the few times when he circumvented your extensive enchantments, placing you into a sleep much like the one you are trapped in now. You grudgingly admit to yourself that perhaps Clearsight was right to worry, for in your few moments of lucidity when you can truly think, you see how likely it would be for you to destroy all you care for. Still, you think, there is so much potential for **good**! There need not be war, there need not be suffering, with your magic you could conquer even death! With your foresight, you could simply avoid the bad timelines, just like you told Clearsight! You would know your mistakes before you made them, you would know the solution to any problem your tribe posed, you would be their salvation!

As far back as you can remember, which you wryly think is very little time at all, you have been seeing persistent visions of a brightest night, hearing an earthquake. You see a SeaWing, the spitting image of Fathom, you see your mother, inexplicably alive and well even after the mountain in which you lie is no longer recognizable, though you can still make out Jade Mountain, now taller than Agate Mountain. You see a NightWing, purplish-black with the mind-reader's scales, suffering from the unmistakable signs of an overload of foreign thoughts. Deplorable, that such a dragon not be trained, you think. You see a dragon with deep golden scales, who looks much like you think Whiteout would have had Arctic been a SandWing. She has the teardrop scales too, subtly lighter than the rest of her, and you see that dragon hatch under the brightest night, along with a NightWing.

But for the most part, you simply lie there, unconscious of the outside world, cognizant only of your gift - your curse, showing you events that could, for all you know, be the past, the present, the future, or even what never could have been. You will remain there, as far as you can tell, forever, unable to die, slowly going mad.

If you haven't already.


	15. Prophecy

**Apollo: This will be a day that brings joy to so many hearts! Oh yes indeed! A day that they will celebrate for decades, maybe even centuries! A day to be held in remembrance for all time! **

**Artemis: You are Umbridge. **

**Apollo: Yep. On a related note, we're not Mr. Chaos. I just wanted to use that line. If you want to see the REAL Umbridge use it, it's in the first chapter of the Order of Moltres. First order of business - an apology. It's been a month and a half. We've had some issues... **

**Artemis: We really do apologize. I got a concussion a few weeks ago, and Hermes and I started high school. **

**Hermes: And my laptop committed hara-kiri! **

**Apollo: Not quite that bad, but it was unusable, so we sent it in for repair. In the meantime, I started college. Yay. That was actually not sarcastic, by the way, I love it. **

**Artemis: Apollo's a NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD! **

**Apollo: To Blackberry Avar, please refer to the PM from September 30. To the guest who said "Poor darkstalker", we hoped to evoke that reaction, yes. **

**Artemis: To TaziyaKoya, it seems like a lot of people thought about what would happen if the dragonets were hatched in moonlight, we're just the only ones I know of who wrote it. I'm glad you like it. To the other two guests, who are probably the same person, we do like a competent Starflight. Honestly, we just wanted to make you all feel SOMETHING about Darkstalker. Not picky as to what. **

**Hermes: To PixieCA, thanks. To , please refer to the PM from November 17. **

**Apollo: While I wish I could say we would never have such a delay again, I know we can't guarantee it. Still, all we can do is try. **

**Artemis: But we do have our first original prophecy in this chapter! I guess Apollo really IS the god of poetry. **

**Apollo: There are a couple of scenes near the end that you may find confusing. Don't worry. That's the point. **

**Hermes: We don't own anything here. If we did, we would be old enough to not suffer school. **

* * *

The wind was howling.

From his spot in the cave, chained to the floor, he could hear it, an incessant noise that reminded him of the audience in Scarlet's arena. It was midmorning, Tsunami having left just before dusk the day before, and the guards had chained him and Clay maybe six hours earlier. They had been brought food sometime before Starflight had woken up, some small crabs. Starflight had slept somewhat peacefully, dreaming of a great jungle, dense and impassable, until waking to the sound of a storm. There was something weird about the situation…

Oh, yes, it was the water lapping at his talons. Sunny was asleep in the corner, farthest from the water, exactly where she had been when the guards came, and Starflight was pleased to note that she was not chained. It was probably annoying to have to escape a collapsing, and possibly burning, palace, and Tsunami would not be amused at the destruction of a part of the kingdom that she would eventually rule. Clay, impressively, seemed to have slept through the guards chaining him up. Observing the rate at which the water crawled up the cave floor, Starflight grimaced. If he stayed where he was, he'd drown in less than three hours. He moved as far back as his restraints would allow, up to a higher platform, wincing at the scraping of metal on stone, and bringing the crabs. He ate about a third of them. Probably closer to seven hours now, and Tsunami would probably be back. Just in case, he reached out to Glory.

"_Glory._"

_What is it, Starflight?_

"_Clay and I have been chained to the floor, and as you may be able to see, the cave we're in is flooding. If Tsunami doesn't come back within five hours, you need to go to the guards and tell them the cave is flooding._"

_Sure. Sunny not gonna get you out?_

"_Not unless there isn't another way. I'd say about seven hours until I need help, and another few hours until Clay needs to start holding his breath. This was, to be honest, an oversight on my part._"

_You're having me wait five hours? I should be going now, or you should be waking up Sunny, or SOMETHING!_

"_I probably know what I'm doing._"

_I'll trust you… but if you die, I'll find some way for magic to bring you back, and then I'll kill you again._

* * *

About an hour later, Sunny woke up.

"How's it going?" Starflight asked, waving a chained talon.

"Pretty good, how about… wait a minute. Why, in the name of Jerboa, are you chained?"

"Shark figured he could overrule the queen. Clay's chained as well, but I convinced the guards not to chain you. Figured that if they did that, you'd curse first and ask questions never."

"You're probably right… so why didn't you wake me up?"

"There's nothing urgent. The cave's flooding, but it's slow, and Tsunami will probably be back long before you need to use magic. I warned the guards to give her the keys when she demands them. Oh, and there's food. Leave some for Clay."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Sunny murmured.

* * *

Starflight had no idea what he was doing. Another three hours had passed, and the storm had worsened. Clay woke up two hours earlier and was pacing back and forth, testing the strength of the chains. The water was rising faster than he had thought, and by his reckoning, Sunny would need to free him within half an hour, and he would already have drowned if the cave wasn't so steep. He was on one of the flat areas, one of over a dozen scattered over a height greater than three Morrowseers, the cave as a whole rising at one third of a square's angle, and stretching back, with a tall entrance. Defeated, he opened his mouth to ask a worried Sunny to free him, only to be forestalled by a vision of Tsunami bursting into the cave with keys when the water was up to his chest. He reached out, sensing her well inside his range and moving fast.

"_Tsunami! How did it go?_"

_Well, but it could have ended badly. We arrived just in time to find Shark telling the guard, Tortoise, that she could take a break to eat an octopus. Gill convinced the queen to move the eggs to the Summer Palace, and I convinced him that I could go on ahead. Found a couple scavengers on some sort of bowl, brought them to a nearby island. How are things on your end?_

"_Please hurry, Clay and I are chained to the floor. I convinced the guards not to chain Sunny, since I figured you wouldn't want the Summer Palace destroyed, but the cave's flooding. I'd say half an hour until Sunny needs to free me. I told the guards that when you inevitably demanded the keys, they should give them to you, and I fed them some story about foreseeing this and warning you ahead of time. You seem like you're nearby._"

_I am. I'll be there soon._

"Sunny?" Starflight asked.

"Want me to get you out?"

"Please do," Clay said at the same time as Starflight responded, "Please don't."

"Why?"

"Tsunami's going to be here soon. I had a vision. Given the rate at which the water is rising, she'll be here in… twenty minutes?"

* * *

She was there in fifteen. Bursting in brandishing the keys, Tsunami hurried up to Starflight, quickly unlocking his chains.

"Thanks," Starflight said gratefully as Tsunami continued up the cave to Clay, freeing him in short order.

"Don't mention it." Tsunami turned to him. "So why were you chained?"

Starflight grimaced. "Your uncle left standing orders to chain us."

"I can't really see why," Clay chimed in. "Even if we three were all securely chained and guarded, Glory's still out there."

"But that only applies if he's worried about security," Sunny countered grimly. "It makes perfect sense if he's assuming that we won't leave anyone behind."

"In which case, he would have remembered that I'm here," Tsunami said. "I think it was just a power play. He didn't seem on the best of terms with the king, remember?"

"How far behind you are the others?" Starflight asked.

"They'll be here in half an hour or so. They had to get the full honor guard and everything they could possibly need to take care of the eggs, and there's going to be a Council meeting about what to do about them."

"I figure our job here is to ensure that your sisters hatch," Sunny declared. "After that, the Kingdom of the Sea is more stable, with four princesses instead of one, and we can move on, right?"

"I think so. I had a vision of…"

What was with this sense of… anticipation? Foreboding? Almost as if through a layer of water, Starflight heard Clay ask "A vision of what?" and he was dimly aware of Sunny stiffening, looking around as though she was expecting to be attacked.

A sharp, lancing pain blotted out conscious thought. Flashes of images, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings, all coursing through his mind and resolved themselves just long enough to be comprehended. Words came to him unbidden as he buckled to the floor as visions materialized.

Two SeaWings fighting, the elder was recognizably Queen Coral. A flash of movement and the younger SeaWing floated, a cloud of blood expanding from a puncture wound in her chest.

**Eldest sister all alone, **

**Challenged for the SeaWing throne, **

**She failed, she died, **

**Her mother cried, **

**For a killer with a heart of stone. **

The visions shifted, revealing a hatchery. A SeaWing, constantly shifting, sometimes Tsunami, sometimes an older Anemone, and sometimes a completely unfamiliar SeaWing, but always with the royal patten, battling a shadowed green dragon while wielding a spear fashioned from a narwhal's horn.

**Eldest sister all alone, **

**Fights against a dragon of stone. **

**The fallen princess' last mistake **

**Seeks her mother's eggs to break.**

The pain swiftly departed, and Starflight blinked blearily up at Tsunami's worried face.

* * *

Already, the visions were fading, the details slipping away, but the words remained, etched irreversibly into his memory.

"What… are you ok?" Tsunami asked. Starflight got up, looking around. Clay was helping Sunny up.

"I'm fine… what just…"

"You fell down and started saying stuff. The weird thing is, Sunny was saying the same thing. What happened?"

"I… I think it was a prophecy. A real one. One that I suspect concerns you."

"What?"

Clay and Sunny walked over. "I think so too," Clay added. "Something about a mistake trying to destroy eggs?"

"Yes," Sunny said simply. "The first and second parts of the prophecy are related, I'm sure of it, but one is a history. Only the second part is prediction."

"Sunny, are you alright?" Starflight asked. "Any headache?"

"Not anymore. Same thing happened to you?" Sunny replied.

"Yeah. Worst headache of my life, fell down, and spewed out a prophecy."

"Back to that topic, what do we know?" Tsunami prompted.

"The first bit involves the queen. She was a lot younger, but the pattern was the same." Sunny declared.

"Wait, so you two spewed out a history involving Queen Coral? There was something about a challenge there…" Clay asked.

"I think so? A failed royal challenge, and we can guess that the loser of that challenge is the fallen princess in the second part, but that doesn't make sense. How could Princess Orca be related to the destruction of the eggs?"

Tsunami paled. "It makes perfect sense," she said softly, "if you remember that Animus magic runs in the family."

* * *

Far away and across a sea, a humble book rested in a temple. Ancient and worn, it was a repository of the prophecies of the legendary seer Clearsight. Every vision, every future she had seen for a thousand years past her death, and scattered predictions further ahead, was stored within that tome. There was no magic involved in the making of the book, nor was the ink enchanted. However, the great seer had, for some of the more sensitive or downright confusing predictions, taken a cue from an old friend. The future was an ever-branching mess, one that even one as skilled and powerful as Clearsight could not navigate forever, but certain things were fixed. Their timing was variable, certainly, but once a prophecy was given, it was set in stone. It **would** happen. The only question was **when**. But that in itself provided a loophole, a way to prevent the inevitable, for if a prophecy was defied and denied again and again and again, then it may never happen at all. Many things lay hidden in the pages of the Book of Clearsight, and not all of them had yet come to pass. The secrets of the book, from the map hidden in the back cover to the blank pages that historians had struggled to rationalize, but never dared to remove, were many and varied. Some were mundane, irrelevant predictions about Pyrrhia's future. There was a little verse about deforestation and the need for a guide, dire warnings of a doom that could not be prevented, but only postponed, and even a few stanzas about a war, and a band of five dragons destined to end it. Nothing about **which** war, though, only that it would last twenty years, and that the dragons would have hatched on a brightest night. And though Clearsight had left Darkstalker's Talisman behind when she left on her great journey, she had known from the beginning that Fathom could not safeguard the scroll forever, and that it would one day be destroyed. As permanent a measure as the sleeping spell had been intended as, it would never have held forever, for circumstance and spell had conspired to keep Clearsight ignorant of the one weakness of the plan.

No matter how well-made the bracelet was, Fathom had never enchanted it to be indestructible, and even if he had, what then would have happened? Indestructible objects trying to destroy each other, and nothing had ever been attempted to determine the result. In the end, the bracelet would stretch, and some accident of geology would shift it off the arm of its wearer, or it would simply rip his arm off.

And Darkstalker would awaken.

* * *

Stonemover was confused.

While his work with the Talons occasionally led to visits, never had the dragons stayed for long. Now, he was sharing his cave with a scarred SandWing and a SkyWing who wasn't even a Talon. To make matters more interesting, both dragons had been sent to Jade Mountain by a mysterious NightWing dragonet named Starflight. Stonemover sighed, causing Dune to look over at him.

"Something wrong?"

"No, no… just thinking…"

Dune had said that Starflight **predicted** danger, and Peril had said that Starflight had ordered the freedom of the prisoner Gill. Gill… where had he heard that name before… in any case, Starflight's planning seemed like foresight, actual visions, something the NightWings had not had in two thousand years. Oh, to know more… but no. Stonemover was dying already. He did not need to hasten it by casting more magic frivolously.

* * *

Starflight stiffened, gazing at Tsunami. The four dragonets stood in silence for a few seconds, then Clay broke it.

"What?"

"Animus magic runs in the family. You all know the stories of Prince Fathom, and how there have been Animuses in the SeaWing royal family before and since. Anemone, for instance. It's not impossible that Orca was one."

Sunny squeaked. "But… the test?"

"She could have fooled it," Starflight said gravely, "if she knew of her powers beforehand. But Tsunami, last time we all discussed this, you pointed out that she didn't use those powers in her challenge."

Tsunami shook her head. "That's the bit I can't wrap my head around. Maybe she thought it'd be unsporting or something, but if the dragon in your vision was my mother, the prophecy **has** to refer to Orca."

"But the second bit's a bit scary," Clay said. "**You're** the eldest living daughter of Queen Coral, and that thing says that you'll have to fight some sort of, what, an enchanted murder-statue?"

Starflight winced. "Not quite. The vision showed a few others fighting, but that implies that Tsunami's dead."

"Then I better not let that happen, right? I go, I fight the statue alone and win, and my sisters will hatch safely from now on. Sounds like a plan?"

Sunny snorted. "No. At the very least, I'm enchanting something to help you," she declared, glaring at Starflight as though she expected him to object. Starflight smiled. "Absolutely. You'll have to bring the spear here, though, or get Anemone to enchant it if you can't."

"That's the thing…" Tsunami began, looking down. "I can't let you do that."

"And why not?" Clay growled. "If you're going to have to fight something enchanted to kill you, why wouldn't you let us help you in any way we can?"

"Because I can't let you risk your soul, Sunny! Not for this. If the statue's gone undetected for this long, there has to be a reason. If I can figure it out, I can just take advantage of that!" Tsunami struck the floor, sending small chips flying. Starflight could hear excited shouting over the storm outside.

"You should go," he said. Though he knew it was futile, he added, "and please let Sunny help you."

Tsunami shook her head, turned, and left the cave. Looking back, she called out "You should move to a higher cave. I'll clear it with the guards."

* * *

The three dragonets swam out of Blister's cave and flew to a higher one, well out of reach of the surging waters. After a couple minutes, Glory shimmered into visibility. A little while after **that**, Tsunami came back, carrying three cauldrons - one packed with fish, one filled with clear water, and one with a salad.

"Found them on the kitchen level, figured you guys should have them. Gill agreed."

Before Starflight could reply, Sunny darted past him and seized the salad cauldron. Ignoring the sounds of Sunny eating all the salad, Starflight looked at Glory.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday? I managed to steal some snacks from the kitchen level occasionally, but it was all raw fish."

"Benefits of being nearly undetectable, I guess," Starflight replied, shooting a burst of fire into the fish cauldron, leaving the fish blackened.

"Hey," Tsunami protested. "I like them raw…"

"Overruled," Glory replied. "Raw fish is gross. Right?"

Clay gave a grunt of assent, selecting a few large fish. "Ah, smoky."

"But… raw fish is awesome!" Tsunami insisted.

"You have unreliable taste," said Glory. "You think your terrifying mother is awesome."

"Well, she is!"

"Except for the part where she allows Blister even a little control over the way she runs her own kingdom," Starflight interjected.

"Speaking of your terrifying mother," Glory said, smirking at Tsunami's expression. "Did you find out anything about who might have killed your sisters? Because my favorite theory is that the queen did it after being shaken by nearly losing to Orca."

The other four dragonets went still.

"Wh… what's wrong? Why are you all looking like that?"

Clay was the first to respond. "Glory, while you were off doing whatever… Starflight and Sunny gave a prophecy."

* * *

Princess Blister squawked in annoyance. Really, did she **have** to approach the Summer Palace in the middle of a storm? Still, she comforted herself, at least the storm would make it hard to follow her.

* * *

Webs smiled. He was finally in the Bay of a Thousand Scales, around half a day's flight from the Summer Palace, and was resting. Finally, he would be home, among the currents and the coral, the war hopefully ending soon, for while he knew that Morrowseer had lied about the prophecy, he also knew that the vast majority of dragons involved did not. Just a day more…

* * *

Crocodile smirked. Webs was **so** easy to manipulate… ever since joining the Talons at Queen Moorhen's command, things had been so easy! From their heading, they would leave the bay within two days, so the Summer Palace was probably along that vector… yes. It had to be. And even if it wasn't, it was only a small force leaving for a few days. Burn's coalition could, from what she remembered, easily spare the troops. Laughing softly to herself, she turned around and began her flight back to the mainland. The nearest part of the Mud Kingdom was a couple of day's flight, easily manageable due to the presence of small islands, and from there…

* * *

Cirrus watched as Crocodile turned away from Webs from his position high in the clouds. So Crocodile figured she had enough information to go back to Burn and Moorhen. There were a few things he could do…

Option one - doff his Cirrus mask and introduce himself to Crocodile as Chameleon, a spy for Queen Scarlet. Not a great plan. His RainWing form, his original form, was not well known, and he didn't have Soar with him, having left that mask at the Talons camp.

Option two - continue following Webs. Cirrus almost immediately discarded that plan as well. It would give him little new information, and if he dawdled he could be caught in Crocodile's attack.

Option three - turn back and make his report to Queen Scarlet, then continue spying on the Talons. Not a bad plan, but she would presumably hear about the location of the Summer Palace soon, and he already knew the backup plan from two different sources.

Option four - turn back, report to Queen Scarlet, then collect the masks as Cirrus and inform Princess Blaze as Mirage. He would likely be rewarded by both royals and would be far away from the chaos that would no doubt ensue in the Kingdom of the Sea, instead being in the third-most peaceful area in Pyrrhia, aside from the Rainforest Kingdom and NightWing Island, of course. Yes, that seemed the best option. He wouldn't even need to rest, seeing as he could just reset Cirrus whenever he got tired, hungry, or thirsty. Two days hard non-stop flight west of north-west to reach the palace, a few hours south to Scarlet's first choice of hiding spot, then to the Talons camp and to Blaze.

* * *

"What?"

"They gave a prophecy," Clay repeated. "Before we left the other cave, just after Tsunami came in and freed us."

"What was it?" Glory asked eagerly.

Starflight repeated the prophecy, relating what the dragonets had managed to puzzle out from prior knowledge and the visions that accompanied the words. Glory's scales flashed acid green, then went sort of yellowish.

"So… enchanted statue smashing the eggs, enchanted by one of Tsunami's dead sisters, and Tsunami's destined to fight it. Sunny, are you at least going to help?"

"I would if she'd let me!" Sunny burst out. "I **want** to do this. Starflight even agrees! And so does Clay!"

"And so do I," Glory concluded. "Tsunami, just accept her help. If Starflight's agreeing, it probably won't end **too** badly."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Starflight deadpanned.

"No."

"No?" Glory repeated.

"No."

"And why not, exactly?"

"Because, Glory, I don't want to risk Sunny's soul. Period. We all know how inconsistent Starflight's foresight is!"

"Consistent enough to get us out of the arena alive," Starflight shot back.

"Some days you can have this sense of how likely the apocalypse is, some days you can't foresee a thing."

"She has a point there," Clay added. "But I still think you should let Sunny help," he said, turning back to Tsunami.

"And that brings me to my second reason. This is **my** fight. **My** duty. This thing's been killing my sisters for longer than I've been alive. The least I can do is pull it apart piece by piece!"

"And you can't do that if it kills you!" Sunny exclaimed. "You can pull the moons-forsaken statue apart **after** I enchant something to help you stop it from killing you!"

"I've proven that I can handle myself! Just look at when it tried to kill me in the tunnel!"

"I don't think that was the statue," Starflight said flatly. At Tsunami's gesture, he continued. "It stopped after you got free and had been affected by the light from your scales. A statue would have been completely fine after you tried to blind it, and it probably wouldn't have stopped. I think the one who attacked you in the tunnel was a perfectly ordinary SeaWing who didn't want to be identified."

"That's fair…"

"So will you let Sunny help you?"

"No."

"This isn't over."

"I think it is."

Sunny opened her mouth to argue, but Glory laughed humorlessly.

"I guess that's that, then. No point in us arguing unless Sunny wants to do something without your agreement or knowledge, seeing as you've always been more stubborn than all of us."

"Yes. Yes it is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't slept in way too long. Night," Tsunami said, lying down and falling asleep almost immediately. Starflight couldn't blame her. She'd been awake all night swimming to the Deep Palace, doing whatever it was she did there, swimming back, stopping them from drowning, and procuring food. Speaking of sleep… he was more mentally drained than he'd thought.

* * *

"Your Majesty, the left flank is breaking!"

"Send Fruit Bat's wing! Monarch, as well!"

Two dragons were on a wooden platform in the middle of a forest, both RainWings… or so Starflight thought until he saw the antennae, as well as the stinger on the one on the left, who had been addressed as "Your Majesty". As he watched, a third dragon, whose scales seemed to war between blue-gray and brown, landed and bowed hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, General Fruit Bat is dead! The enemy is committing to a frontal assault! Your sister leads them!"

The leader snarled, scales flushing dark red. "How?"

"They sent an assassin, then attacked in the confusion. When I left, Commander Glory was rallying the soldiers to make a last stand."

The leader drew herself up to her full height, scales turning indigo. "Then I must reinforce the front. Metalmark, go back to the left flank and tell them to draw the enemy into the trees."

"But Your Majesty, their leafspeakers -"

"**Commander** Blue," the leader continued, stressing the title. "You will take command of the Shifters. Loop around and hit the enemy from behind. Be invisible. Target the leafspeakers first. Understood?"

"Yes, Queen Firefly!" the two dragons, who Starflight was sure had something to do with the RainWings, chorused.

"Very well!" the queen said. "Go!"

With that word, she reared up and breathed a pennant of fire high into the sky, prompting three dozen dragons to take to the sky some distance east.

"Reserves!" she shouted. "We go to confront **Princess** Beetle! To war!"

* * *

A dragon who looked much like Queen Firefly, but a bit smaller and leaner, wove through a battle, spitting acid. Behind her, more dragons followed, most belonging to the RainWing-like tribe, and they spit fire and acid every which way, and some who looked like no dragon Starflight had ever heard of. The leader glanced backwards, seeing one of the strange dragons, whose wings looked like leaves, wave. She broke away from the battle, darting towards the dragon.

"Birch, what is it? We've almost broken through!"

"Your Majesty, the right flank has been annihilated by Firefly's Shifters. None of the leafspeakers escaped. Some were taken captive… the others were killed. Some of our RainWings got out, among them Commander Grandeur, though General Kinkajou was captured."

"Am I correct in assuming that we are shortly going to be under attack from the right?"

"You are, Your Majesty. We have minutes, at best."

The RainWing snarled. "And our leafspeakers are mostly ineffective on the foothills."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I advise a retreat."

"To where? We've been pushed out of the forest. The only way out is over… over the mountains. North into SkyWing territory. West into SandWing territory. If we sound the retreat now… casualties will be horrific. This is our best chance to end the war before it truly starts. I know my sister… she will not be able to resist the temptation to crush me herself."

A RainWing flew from the north, scales a bright gold. "We're driving them into the trees on the left flank, Your Majesty! General Wasp thinks we might be able to break through!"

"And that would mean we can skirt around Firefly's army and take the western forest," the dragon who was probably Beetle mused. "Good work, soldier. Go back and tell Wasp to go for it. Birch, take the wings I send to you and reinforce Wasp. I'll lead a fighting retreat and join up with you. Got it?"

"Yes, Queen Beetle."

Beetle took off, rejoining the battle. Her orders could be clearly heard. "Beech wing, Chrysalis wing! Retreat to General Birch! The rest of you, to me! Destroy **Princess** Firefly's army!"

Cheers could be heard from the skies above the forest… just as three dozen RainWings led by Firefly burst through the canopy to join the battle, turning the tide in favor of Firefly's army. Beetle barked another order as seven leafy-winged dragons and four RainWings broke from the battle to fly towards General Birch. Beetle barked another order.

"Fighting retreat! North!"

* * *

Starflight woke to a sense of confusion, a bad feeling, and shouting.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

What… what were those visions? Of RainWings that weren't RainWings, of two sisters each claiming the mantle of queen? Of the beginnings of a war? And what was with this bad feeling, as if he was in imminent… danger…

"WHERE ARE THE DRAGONETS? WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?"

Starflight reached out… and sensed an intruder. He stiffened. Tsunami was awake, but Clay and Sunny were not, and Glory was nowhere to be seen, being somewhere on the top levels of the pavilion by his reckoning. If the intruder was hostile…

"Up here," called a voice with a sibilant hiss to it. The speaker was coiled in the entrance, with white-gold scales and black diamond patterns, a tail barb and onyx eyes. Starflight knew who she was. He also knew that if he, if any of them screwed up, only Sunny's magic could save them in this confined space.

Princess Blister had been watching them sleep.


	16. Confirmations

**?: *Is typing on a keyboard. They are cloaked and hooded, but their hands are clearly orange.* **

**Apollo: Grand Inquisitor. Care to tell me what you're doing out of your universe? **

**Grand Inquisitor: Oh, you know, world between worlds and all that... **

**Apollo: Just... go back to your universe. We're writing your story, alright? I've got at least 17 pages of it! **

**Grand Inquisitor: *Disappears* **

**Artemis and Hermes enter the room. **

**Apollo: First off, sorry for the delay. I wanted to have this out over two weeks ago, but we got sick, and school started again, and general life happened. We'll try to make this quick... **

**Hermes: To Unazaki: [REDACTED TO AVOID SPOILERS]. To Guest, thanks. We hope it'll continue to improve! **

**Artemis: To Jdragon8: Thanks! Keeping Gill alive may have been my idea. I liked his character in book 9 and really wanted to explore it more. **

**Apollo: It wasn't. It was my idea, because we'd already saved Dune, so why not? **

**Artemis: SHH! Anyway, to Dragonheart 07 and quinn: Thanks. **

**Apollo: And please relay to the patron god of Leeroy Jenkins that that's what makes us great. He's god of one thing, and he gotta share that with the better war deity. To PixieCA, thanks. No two wars are alike, so that's already accomplished. **

**Hermes: To TaziyaKoya: Apollo is the main writer, but we do contribute, and sometimes we argue over small details and where to take the story. As to the rest, thanks. To Unazaki (again): Thanks. It's not an intercontinental war, it's [REDACTED]. **

**Apollo: We have replied to Fus Ro Duh's many reviews via PM. We're shifting towards replying to reviews via PM when it would expand the AN too much. I've got a couple of clues to help you all with the vision. The first is a phrase - "history never repeats, but it rhymes". The second is a word - finch. So far, everyone's been entertainingly wrong. **

**Artemis: Well, I guess a prophecy is better than a haiku. To conclude the AN, we do not own Wings of Fire, nor the terza rima style of poetry. Enjoy! **

**Apollo (announcer voice): Now, as Blister ponders stuff, Webs screws up, and Turtle's family is awesome... **

**EDIT: Apollo: I almost forgot! Near the end, Sunny's enchantment has a flaw in it. Find it for digital cookies. Glacier is using the Philidor defence - for more draco-chess information, check the profile. For status updates, check the profile. We put a lot of stuff on there. Also, how do you like the ending of the Tragedy of Orca? I felt terza rima was thematically appropriate, what with being invented to describe a man's descent into hell. Happy new year!**

* * *

_O brave daughter, what mistake did you make _

_That shall then cause my rule forevermore _

_The horror on your face could not be fake. _

_Has ever a mother mourned more than for _

_A daughter gone astray, kin against kin _

_Dead with a silent, agonizing roar? _

_My daughter, you were always great within. _

_**The Tragedy of Orca, death stanzas, by Queen Coral of the SeaWings**_

* * *

_A few hours ago…_

Oh, how I hate the water.

Perhaps it is natural, for I am of the desert, of the heat and the sun, but what an inconvenience it is when my allies dwell beneath the waves and behind stone walls, hidden from view. Even worse when I cannot escape the water even above the surface. Now where were those spiral rocks…

Ah, there they are. Suppressing a shudder, I dive through the seaweed, making my way through the tunnel that had been redesigned specifically to accommodate me and mine, surfacing to find… oh no… he was supposed to be captured.

"King Gill… such a pleasure."

"Charmed, Princess Blister," Gill replies blandly, one of the few SeaWings who dared address me by the title I technically had not yet managed to cast off.

"I had heard you were captured by Scarlet… I feared the worst. How did you escape?"

"I didn't. I was rescued by six remarkable dragons as I slept. You might have heard of them…" he trailed off with a smirk. "Oh, and I'm afraid your cave flooded in the storm."

Damn him and damn the rain. "Have you alternative accommodations, **Your Majesty**?" I ask, unable to stop my annoyance from leaking into my voice. At that, the blasted SeaWing just grins.

"I'm afraid we were unaware of your arrival, Your Highness, as you neglected to send word that you were coming. However, feel free to look around and find a cave that's to your liking."

Translation: You didn't bother to tell us you were coming, so your discomfort is on your head, and as an added bonus, you can now go cave shopping in the rain, which I know you hate.

"I shall go and do that then. Where are these six remarkable dragons anyway?"

"Well, one of them went south after we got out of Scarlet's palace. The other five… one of them disappeared when we arrived here, haven't seen her since. One was allowed to roam free within the palace, and recently visited the Deep Palace alongside the queen. As for the other three…" his grin took up almost his entire face at that point. "Seeing as we didn't have any prepared cells here that wouldn't cause the two who were free to break them out and disappear from the palace, we elected to house them in your cave!"

Damn him. "The one that's flooded?"

"Oh, don't worry, we got them out."

Not what I meant and you know it, you insufferable dragon. You know what, I'm going to be eating fish for the next few days. Never mind the fact that I don't particularly like fish. It's healthy, anyway. "Then I shall take my leave, if that is all right with you."

"Oh, don't let me slow you down!"

Thank Jerboa for small mercies. Why Scarlet didn't kill him, I'll never know. If only it had been Burn that got her talons on him after I sounded the retreat that day…

* * *

"Your Majesty, the SeaWings have engaged the enemy! We await your signal!"

We stood on the shore of the Sky Kingdom. If Blaze was competent enough to follow simple directions, and if she wasn't Queen Glacier certainly was, the IceWings and SandWings of Blaze's faction were launching a series of raids into Burn's territory, as well as advancing on Scarlet's forces, keeping them pinned down and unable to assist our enemies of the day. A second messenger flew down.

"Queen Blister, the MudWings are attacking from the Diamond Spray Delta!"

"One second, please," I say with a forced smile. Then I wander behind a boulder and proceed to swear viciously, concluding with "Morrowseer, you camel-faced buffoon, this is **not** the time to test my patience!" Then I return to the messengers. I had hoped to do this in a controlled manner, being able to verify **his** death, which would devastate Coral and leave her even more open to my advice, but this would have to do. It would look more natural, anyway.

"Sound the retreat. We go back into the bay. Signal the reserves on the way."

"But, Your Majesty, the SeaWings!"

I'd kill him, but it's so rare that my underlings show independent thought, and I still need him. "They are to retreat also. If we're still here when the MudWings arrive, we're all dead."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the minion said, flying towards the front shouting "RETREAT!" at the top of his lungs. Gill always leads from the front, so upon the retreat, he will either succeed, which fulfills a tactical objective anyway, or fail and be captured, or better yet, killed. Commander Shark is a competent enough replacement, I think, and Gill's incapacitation one way or the other gives me more control over the SeaWings. Now, if Whirlpool can do what he says he can, I will effectively rule over **two** tribes at war's end, and it will be ever so satisfying to do what no other dragon ever has and likely will never do.

* * *

Ah, good times. But those meddlesome dragonets broke him out. At least they threw my enemies into chaos, but now my understanding with Blaze was in jeopardy. If she didn't stop to think, she could destroy Burn, and the IceWings were unassailable behind their Great Ice Cliff. If she did stop to think, she could damage me, enticing Burn to drive my army into the sea. No, better if the dragonets simply quietly obeyed me, but I'm no fool. That's never going to happen. All I can realistically hope for is for the NightWing to see reason. After Scarlet, they would never support Burn, and if I can stop them from going to Blaze… I had narrowly avoided disaster. If it had been Moorhen who captured them, or if Blaze were allowed near them… I am many things, but I'm not more charismatic than my irritating younger sister or the gentle queen of the MudWings. But first, caves. I spend a while going through caves, never satisfied. The ones near sea level are already flooded, or in danger of being so, but I find a good cave. There is only one problem - it is already occupied. However, it was by the very dragons I hoped to find. They are all asleep. How cute. I settle down in the mouth of the cave to wait.

* * *

_Now…_

Don't panic.

That was the advice Kestrel always gave the dragonets about going into a fight you weren't sure you could win. Of course, Starflight was sure she never anticipated them in a cave with Princess Blister of the SandWing tribe in the entrance. One false move, one errant word, and he was sure that the aspiring queen would have no qualms about killing them all where they stood.

Well, all except Tsunami. Queen Coral would probably be a little annoyed if her ally murdered one of her two daughters.

"Wake up, you lazy snoring manatees," Tsunami hissed quietly, poking Sunny and Clay. Clay grumbled a little, muttering about hippos, and Sunny calmly opened her eyes. Blister was, of course, watching all this with amusement.

"Well, hello," said the cause of Pyrrhia's suffering for the last twenty years or so. "So nice to meet you. I'm Queen Blister. They're up here," she called again. "Staying dry out of the storm, I presume," she went on conversationally. "Very wise. I would have done the same thing."

Bright smashing suns, now what? Glory was outside, safe and hidden, but also not in a position to help immediately. If this came to hostilities, Sunny's magic would be required to get all five dragonets out of the Summer Palace alive.

A flurry of wingbeats announced Queen Coral's arrival on the ledge outside the cave, Anemone in tow and three SeaWing guards, plus Gill, following close behind. "So they are," Queen Coral said. She took a deep breath before turning to Blister with outstretched arms and wings spread wide. "Queen Blister, my friend," she said. "You got my message! I'm so glad you came. I knew you'd want to hear right away that we found Gill. Oh, and the dragonets, too." She waved her tail at the four dragonets. Gill made a face behind Coral's back. Starflight couldn't see Blister's reaction.

Blister clasped Coral's front talons in hers and quickly let go. "I was… thrilled to hear it," she said. "And one of them was your beautiful missing daughter, as we always suspected. But Coral, where is the RainWing?"

When did she have time to look at Tsunami's patterns? And why did she narrow her eyes at Gill when she said that? And how did she know that Glory was a RainWing?

"She vanished soon after the dragonets arrived here. We think she's still here somewhere, but we don't know where." At that, Gill grinned at Blister for some reason. Coral didn't notice, continuing on. "Oh, yes! Tsunami, say hello to my ally, Queen Blister."

"We've met."

Oh, right, Morrowseer probably told her. He reached out to Glory.

"_Do not visit us. Blister is here._"

_Wasn't planning to. I'm busy impersonating Tsunami to gain entry to the kitchens._

"Then introduce your friends," Coral ordered, smiling at Blister.

Sunny was craning her neck around Tsunami to get a better view. Catching his eye, she frowned. "_Should I magic her?_"

"_No._"

"_Why not? She's the one that started the war, we were never going to choose her._"

"_We kill her here, we burn bridges with the NightWings._"

"_I never said kill…_"

"Marvelous," Blister drawled smoothly, not knowing how close she had come to death… or incapacitation. Starflight must have missed Tsunami's introduction. "All so brave and clever-looking. SkyWings are overrated anyway."

What, did she think they were two? If Blister wanted to manipulate the dragonets, she could at least make an effort.

"So I've heard a lot about **you**," Blister continued, slithering up to Starflight and running a claw slowly down his neck. Incredibly creepy… and a transparent threat.

She glanced down at Sunny next. "Sweet," she commented. Sunny frowned.

"_Can I magic her now?_"

"_No._"

"And you must be the burly one," she said to Clay, squeezing one of the muscles in his forearm.

"I- I guess," Clay stammered.

"_Now?_"

"_Just don't magic her! Yet._"

"I'm sure you've heard things about me, too," Blister said, returning to the queen's side. Her tail slid across the cave floor, snakelike, the venomous tip rattling on the stone. Another threat. "But you can't always trust rumors and propaganda, especially when it comes to a big responsibility like the prophecy. So ask me anything you like. I'd be delighted to help you make your decision - although of course I **hope** you'll choose me." Her glittering eyes swept over all of them again and back to Coral. "So, Coral, what's for breakfast? Fish, I hope?" At that, she glared at Gill behind the oblivious queen's back, Gill winking - **winking** at one of the most dangerous dragons alive.

"Yes, what a good idea. There will be fish, don't worry. Let's go eat," said Queen Coral. "And then you can tell me the latest updates from the war. We hear something odd is going on with the SkyWings. Anemone, Tsunami, come."

Tsunami's gills flared.

"Let the others come, too," Blister said hurriedly. "I'd love to get to know them better."

Coral wrinkled her snout at the dragonets, but before she could deliver judgement, Gill spoke up. "What a magnificent idea, Blister!" He looked like he was barely restraining the impulse to cackle.

"All right," the queen said smoothly.

As they left the cave, Tsunami poked Starflight.

_I think she's involved with the murders. I don't think she'd feel fine with heirs threatening Mother's life when Blister so easily controls her._

"_On the contrary, I think she'd want a royal line that she could control. Coral's not young, after all. And don't underestimate Gill. I'm sure there's a story there._"

The feasting hall was two levels above the kitchens, so the smells of pickled fish and roasting seagulls ("in honor of our SandWing guests," Queen Coral explained) surrounded them as they arranged themselves around the long, low oval table. Queen Coral's seat at one end of the table was higher than everyone else's, but Gill's, right beside her, was not much lower.

Gill was seated to the queen's right, and Blister to her left. Sunny, Clay, Tsunami, and Anemone were seated on Gill's side of the table, and Starflight found himself sitting beside Blister, opposite Clay. Shark and the other members of the Council filled the rest of the table.

SeaWing guards were arranged around the perimeter of the floor, and a few SandWings started filing in, still breathing hard from their flight. Tsunami glanced at Starflight and tapped her snout.

"_What is it?_"

_I'm about to do something stupid._

"_Wait, WHAT?_"

"MOTHER!" Tsunami declared dramatically as the wait-staff set bowls of soup in front of each dragon. The reactions were mixed. Whirlpool nearly tipped his bowl onto himself, the queen looked startled, Gill was chuckling, Starflight was faceclawing, Blister's face froze in a pleasant smile (though Starflight could sense her mild confusion), and so on.

"I have something DREADFULLY SHOCKING to tell you!" Tsunami announced loudly.

"Oh?" said Coral. "Could we discuss it after breakfast? In a civilized fashion?"

"NO," Tsunami said, even louder. "This is TOO SHOCKING."

Even SeaWings not invited to the feast were peering out of their caves and poking their heads out of the lake to listen.

"Well, perhaps -" Coral started. Gill was making faces at Shark, who was failing to restrain a glare.

"WOULD YOU BELIEVE," Tsunami yelled calmly, "that my friends - the DRAGONETS OF DESTINY, remember - were CHAINED UP? In YOUR CAVES? By YOUR DRAGONS?"

"What?" Coral said, flapping her wings. She looked thoroughly alarmed (genuine), but was it because she knew and didn't expect to be called on it or just didn't know?

"I **KNOW**!" Tsunami practically bellowed. "It's UNBELIEVABLE. I'm sure **you** didn't know anything about it, of course."

"Of course," Coral said hurriedly. "I would never treat any dragonets that way! Especially my dearest daughter's dearest friends. Who are part of the prophecy and everything. And also saved Gill."

"And certainly, disobedience must be punished, right?" Tsunami continued.

"Absolutely," said the queen.

"Well, GUESS WHO ordered your guards to chain up the very dragonets who saved our beloved king?" Tsunami said inexorably. Gill grinned at Shark, who looked horrified. Tsunami flung an accusing talon toward Shark. The SandWing guards shot confused looks at their SeaWing counterparts, who looked like they were about to start cheering. "COMMANDER SHARK! Of all the dragons who should obey you in everything! Is that not UTTERLY SHOCKING?" Blister relaxed, picking up her soup bowl.

"It is," Coral said pleasantly, shooting a dark look at Shark. "Especially when I have never ordered anything remotely similar, and expressly stated that they were **guests**, not prisoners."

"Imagine the distress the poor guards felt," Tsunami said, "when they were caught between their commander and their queen! Naturally, they chose you as soon as they had the chance. Their commander's actions are hardly **their** responsibility, right?"

Queen Coral gave Tsunami an appraising glance as Blister looked on, amused. It was, however, Gill that responded. "Indeed. I imagine that their families would have been threatened to force them to do something even remotely treasonous. We should therefore punish the one who forced them to do this."

"Very well. To the dungeon with Commander Shark!" the queen proclaimed. "We will be having a little **talk** later, brother."

Shark shot a betrayed glance at Blister, brushed off the guards that tried to seize him, and calmly left the room. From the way the guards simply looked on and went to barricade the tunnel, he was going to the dungeons himself.

"That was anticlimactic," Gill rumbled, breaking all remaining tension. They all ate in silence for a few minutes before Blister spoke up.

"If we're quite finished with our morning theatrics, I would love to ask you brilliant little dragonets about the prophecy."

"_**Now**_ _can I magic her?_"

"_No._"

"Starflight can recite it for you," Tsunami said. "He's really good at memorizing things. And he's probably got a plan, too."

"How splendid! How impressive!" Whirlpool said with sincere admiration.

"Squid-brain."

Gill snorted. Coral looked mildly disapproving. Whirlpool didn't notice.

"So shall we hear it?" Blister inquired. A hush fell over the feasting table. Ears were pricked all over the palace. Every dragon in Pyrrhia wanted to hear this.

Think, think, **think!** What could he say that wouldn't get them killed, but wouldn't outright say that their choice was Blister?

"It's a bit of a work in progress, Your Majesty," Starflight began, "and we've had to adapt it recently. Furthermore, if you know too much of it… how good an actress are you? You'd have to feign surprise before all of Pyrrhia. And if you failed, Burn's faction would no doubt accuse you of interfering and continue the war, prophecy or not." That should do it!

"I notice you didn't mention Blaze, young NightWing," Blister said pleasantly, "but can I count on you to support me?"

"Maybe," Sunny said, equally pleasantly, "you should focus more on what would happen to your plans if, say, a few key elements… died, for instance. Your Majesty."

"Does she speak for all of you?" Blister asked imperiously.

Thankfully, Gill broke in. "I don't think it a good idea to discuss these matters without **all five** of the dragonets present, **Your Highness**. Especially considering recent events in the SkyWing palace."

Coral looked alarmed. "Gill, she **is** the SandWing queen."

"Not. Yet."

"Let's just move on. How is our secret weapon coming along?" Blister said, smiling at Anemone.

"What secret weapon?" asked Gill, slightly nervously. Anemone dropped her head and stared unhappily at the table.

"You'll see, Gill. Whirlpool, come along."

Whirlpool puffed out his chest and stood up. Tsunami got up at the same time, but the queen shook her head, pearls glimmering in the green light. "You can skip this, dear. I'm sure it won't interest you."

"I'd like her to come," Anemone piped up. "Please?"

Blister shook her head minutely at Coral. Regardless, Tsunami soldiered on.

"I'm sure it'll be **very** interesting," Tsunami said, glancing at Sunny, then at Starflight. "Everything you do is interesting, Mother."

"Please?" Anemone said again.

"All right," Coral said with a sigh. "But not the others."

"I don't see the harm in letting them come," Blister said with a grimace. Gill grinned at her.

"Oh. That's all right, then," Coral amended. "They can come."

Tsunami shared an exasperated glance with Gill.

* * *

Blaze stared at the board. It was almost funny, how the war still raged. Her faction still had a king piece - a fully realized Animus, immortal and impervious to harm, but if Blaze's faction was the white army, Jerboa was a light blue piece. She was not Glacier's to command and would laugh if Blaze tried.

"Give up already?"

Oh, and Glacier sat on the other side of the table, playing the black army. Her RainWings were in an aggressive formation, but they limited the movement of her black-squared SkyWing, though that lack of mobility was offset by the fact that Blaze had given up the white white-squared SkyWing, allowing it to be captured by one of her other RainWings.

"No… I'm just thinking."

Of course, the game of queens was a faulty metaphor for the war, but some things fit. Commander Tempest had been a king piece, her death shifting the tide of the war away from Blister, while King Gill was more of a NightWing piece, unpredictable and always one step ahead of the SkyWings. Until he wasn't. Of course, if the SeaWings had an Animus, and given the history of that family they probably would at some point, they would be a RainWing piece primed to king.

Scarlet, of course, was also a NightWing piece, erratic and dangerous, but not overly important. Her champion, Peril, was another king piece, so rare at this stage in the war, and powerful for distinct reasons. Jerboa was one due to her magic, Tempest's charisma and strategic skill made her dangerous, and Peril was reportedly invincible in combat. Blaze reached out and advanced her king's RainWing two squares. Glacier promptly captured it.

What other kings were on the board? The Dragonets of Destiny, for one. Their power came from the prophecy, and they could end the war themselves. The warring princesses were all queen pieces - surprisingly powerful, again for different reasons, but their death - our death, Blaze corrected herself, she hadn't won yet - would end the war for their faction. No, perhaps the dragonets were a queen piece, the hope of the neutral parties. Their deaths would signal the failure of the prophecy and the continuation of the war, and they were destined to remove two queens from the board. Blaze advanced her queen's RainWing forward one square. Glacier captured it, the offending RainWing being captured in turn by the white queen's NightWing. Glacier responded by moving to trade NightWings.

Ah, she'd forgotten that the RainWing that would otherwise be protecting that NightWing had moved out of position to capture Blaze's SkyWing.

Of course, the RainWing pieces of the war were few and far between. The Outclaws of the Scorpion Den came to mind, and the Talons of Peace themselves were another. Blaze captured Glacier's NightWing, threatening her king, prompting a hissed curse and a hurried move two squares forward.

"...impressive."

Camel spit, that move was too clever for stupid vain Blaze! Blaze grinned vacantly.

"Thank you!"

She then proceeded to capture Glacier's lone RainWing with her king. Glacier huffed as she captured the NightWing. The position wasn't hopeless, but Blaze had been careless. She'd need to work harder to lose this game as spectacularly as she usually did.

* * *

Burn stared at a board of her own, but unlike Blaze's game, this one was a bit more serious. On the board, made to represent Pyrrhia, various tokens lay to represent troops and important dragons. Burn's own token was in the Diamond Spray Delta, from which she could coordinate the MudWings with Scarlet's rebels, as well as keep watch for when the Dragonets of Destiny left the Kingdom of the Sea. The deposed queen herself had been annoyingly elusive, the only indication of her continued existence being the occasional reports of SkyWing patrols being wiped out by a single dragon, with one survivor left to run back to Ruby and proclaim that the queen was not dead. It had been a terrible mistake, leaving the palace so soon, but Burn knew where the RainWing was aiming. If not for her timely use of Queen Scarlet as a shield, Burn herself would be severely injured or dead.

The tokens for Blaze's faction were arrayed to the north of the Kingdom of Sand. Their borders were mostly constant, always pressuring Burn's northern front, but they were massing on the borders of the Sky Kingdom now. If Burn had to guess, she would say that those troops were a threat to Ruby to join Blaze, and so the MudWings needed to get involved. Skilled though the queen and her loyalists were, far more competent than the palace guards at any rate, but the difference in numbers was too great for Scarlet to prevail alone.

Blister's faction, however, was more mysterious. Burn suspected that the SandWings were based in the vicinity of the scavenger castle near the Bay of a Thousand Scales, but the SeaWings were a massive unknown. Worse, King Gill had been rescued by the Dragonets, and they would have been fools not to bring him home. All of which left Burn in the uncomfortable position of waiting. She could do nothing more against Blaze than she already was, for fear of a SeaWing attack, she could do nothing against Blister's SandWings, again for fear of a SeaWing attack, and she could do nothing against the SeaWings because they were underwater. Sure, there was a palace above the surface, but it was hidden well, and scouts sent to the bay had a nasty habit of vanishing.

"Queen Burn! The spy Crocodile has returned!"

"Send her in at once!"

Crocodile… that was the spy she had sent to infiltrate the Talons of Peace some months ago. What was she doing back so soon? Surely the Talons weren't so stupid as to trust a new recruit with their deepest secrets?

The large MudWing entered the tent, still breathing hard from a no doubt hurried flight, and knelt.

"Crocodile. Have you brought me the secrets of the Talons of Peace?"

The MudWing looked up and grinned exhaustedly. "No, Queen Burn. I've brought you something better. An approach to the Summer Palace of the SeaWings!"

"How," Burn hissed excitedly.

"I convinced one of the Talons of Peace to return home and followed him part of the way. If I may?" Crocodile asked, indicating Burn's board.

"Very well."

Crocodile walked over to a map and traced out a flight path. It began not too far from their current position, likely where the Talon had left the mainland, and continued to the closest large island in the bay, at which it turned northwards. Crocodile jabbed a point east of the next large island.

"This is where I turned back. If you continue following this approach…" she traced another line, stopping at a specific island. "This is the only island large enough for a palace on that flight path. I was careful, I'm sure he didn't realize I was following him." She traced a line from the Diamond Spray Delta to an island near the possible location of the palace. "If a few flights were to be sent with dragonflame cacti and logs, they could rest here before continuing on to the palace itself. Wreck the place and fly back here before the SeaWings can retaliate."

"Very astute," Burn commended. "You have one hour."

"Your Majesty?"

"Eat, drink, rest. I will gather the troops and you will lead them to the palace yourself."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Crocodile intoned, bowing and leaving. She was sure Scarlet wouldn't mind if Burn borrowed the SkyWings she'd left at the delta…

* * *

The small procession - four of the five Dragonets of Destiny, Princesses Blister and Anemone, Queen Coral, King Gill, and Whirlpool - went to a high level of the pavilion, an armory by the look of it. Weapons were lined up along one side: white twisting horn spears like the one attached to the queen's tail; battle armor of chain link or scales hammered over more scales; gleaming metal claws not unlike the weapons carried by scavengers. None of the weapons looked particularly special, but they probably weren't there for the weapons. Tsunami was looking sharply at the armor. Following her gaze, Starflight spotted a nick in one of the vests.

"May I?" Whirlpool said officiously, gesturing to one of the strands of pearls on Coral's wings. She dipped her wing so he could remove it. He strutted to the center of the bowl and carefully laid the rope of pearls on the floor in front of him.

"_Looks like we were right,_" Starflight broadcast to Tsunami. Tsunami grimaced.

"All right," he said, rubbing his talons together. "See if you can make it crawl over to the wall."

Sunny stared piercingly at Anemone. Clay looked confused for a second, then understood what exactly was happening. Gill looked conflicted. Anemone merely sat down next to Tsunami and sighed. "Do I have to?" she said. "It seems like a waste."

"Practicing is never time wasted," Whirlpool said, wagging a claw.

"But I don't want to end up like Albatross," Anemone said, flicking her wings and edging a little closer to Tsunami.

"He made an entire pavilion grow from stone before he went mad and tried to kill everyone," Whirlpool said patronizingly, prompting Gill to glare at him. "You have a way to go before that happens. Now. The necklace, please."

Anemone sighed again, prompting images of a statue to surface in Starflight's mind. She held out her front talons and the necklace began to slowly wind toward the wall, moving in curves like a snake.

"You're an Animus," Gill said, seeming as though he was unsure whether to be fearful or proud.

Anemone dropped her talons, and the necklace stopped moving. "I know," she said with an expression that suggested that she would rather be descended from a cactus.

"We've had a few Animus dragons in the royal family," Coral said proudly. "But not in several generations. Anemone was hatched just in time to help us win this war."

"Careful," Blister said with a hiss.

"Any fool can realize that an Animus dragon would be very useful in battle," Coral said. "There are lots of marvelous things we can do with this power."

"Yes, watch this," Whirlpool said. He picked up a metal armor breastplate and flung it up in the air, over the edge. "Catch it with a spear!" he called to Anemone.

None of the spears moved. The breastplate plummeted toward the lake.

"Sorry," Anemone said, not looking sorry at all. "You didn't give me enough warning."

"Ow!" someone yelled from below.

"Anemone," Whirlpool said with a sigh. "Battle is all about quick thinking."

True enough, Kestrel had spent years beating that knowledge into the dragonets' heads.

"How would **you** know that?" Anemone challenged.

Whirlpool frowned at her and Gill smiled faintly.

"Try it again," Queen Coral ordered, clapping her front talons together. "And this time do as you're told, Anemone."

Whirlpool flung another flat piece of metal armor into the air. Almost immediately, a spear flew off the rack and pierced it through.

Blister and Coral applauded as the spear carefully brought the armor to rest safely on the floor.

"_It seems magic can be used non-verbally,_" Starflight noted, broadcasting to Sunny.

"_So it can._"

"Impressive," Blister said. "But not much more impressive than what I saw last time. What about progress? What about bigger objects? How much longer must this training go on?"

"I'm sure she's nearly ready," said the queen, at the same time that Anemone said "Years. Lots more years."

Blister's forked black tongue slipped through her teeth, and she narrowed her eyes at Anemone. "Coral," she said, tilting her head.

"Stay here," Coral ordered. She gestured for Gill to follow her, a move met with a grimace from Blister, and slid as far away as the harness would reach and crouched with her wings spread, whispering to Blister and Gill.

Whirlpool strutted over to the gathered dragonets. Anemone twitched a claw, and suddenly the pearl necklace he'd left on the floor whirled around, whipped under his belly, hovered tauntingly for a second, and soared off the ledge. With a yelp, the green dragon raced after it, diving over the edge.

"This is what you have to save me from," Anemone whispered quickly.

"The boring lessons?" Tsunami asked sardonically. "Sure, I'll get right on that."

"Don't bother answering," Clay broke in. "She's teasing you. You're talking about the wanton use of magic, aren't you?"

"Yes," Anemone said, relieved. "According to Blister, I should be able to enchant the Sky Kingdom's palace to cave in on all the SkyWings. She wants me to curse a spear to search for Burn's heart and not stop until it kills her." Anemone edged closer yet to Tsunami. "But I don't know for sure if I can do any of that. I'm scared to try. I don't **want** to try. Every time an Animus dragon uses her power, she loses a bit of herself." Tsunami's sister held out her talons as if they might not really be hers. "Albatross was a prince and a hero at first, but they didn't know about the price of Animus magic then. Building the pavilion turned him evil." She slipped a talon into Tsunami's grasp. "I don't want that to happen to me," she said softly.

Tsunami pulled Anemone into a hug. As she released her sister, Sunny spoke up.

"No one can **make** you do magic. They'd have to be dumber than Blaze to try. You have within you the power to crush mountains, but whether you do so is your choice. You have the power to destroy… but also to create, to make things that endure long beyond your death," she began quietly. "For instance, this pavilion, or the dreamvisitors, or the Eye of Onyx. Be wise, princess. What will be your legacy?"

Silence reigned for a few seconds, broken only by the fervent whispering of the elder royals. Clay coughed. "A bit deep, Sunny. Regardless," at this he turned to Anemone, "she's right. Your mother might tell you what to do, but what's your line in the sand? Where do you say 'enough'? Be true to yourself. Don't let anyone else make you compromise your morals."

"And who knows?" Starflight murmured. "Your father might understand where your mother does not."

"I… thank you," Anemone answered.

"In the meantime, we still need to figure out what's killing our sisters," Tsunami said. "That reminds me, if none of us survive, who's queen after Coral?"

Anemone flicked her tail around and studied the end of it. "Who knows? I don't think a queen has ever died and passed on the throne peacefully, at least not in our kingdom. And who else would challenge her? I heard Uncle Shark say once that maybe a son should inherit… but I guess it would probably be our cousin Moray. Except she doesn't want the job - she wants Coral to be queen forever. At least, that's what she says."

"You don't believe her?" Tsunami asked.

"There's just something weird about her," Anemone said. "Isn't there? It's like she must be faking, because nobody could really act like that all the time and mean it."

"Maybe…"

Queen Coral's wings fluttered closed. "In the meanwhile," Tsunami whispered quickly, "keep acting like you need more training. Make mistakes if you have to. Make them think you aren't ready for as long as you need to."

"Mistakes," Anemone sighed. "Why didn't I **think** of that?"

Queen Coral slid back to them, twisting her snout from side to side while Gill and Blister glared at each other behind her. "Where's Whirlpool?" she asked.

"I think he lost something," Anemone said innocently.

"Queen Blister wants you to try -"

Blister's head snapped up. She stared around the cavern, poised in eerie stillness, nothing but her eyes moving. Starflight reached out - minds around him, below him, and… above him?

Blister's gaze slowly lifted up to the canopy of leaves and vines overhead. The canopy rustled. Something - someone big was moving around up there. Someone familiar.

Queen Coral hissed softly. "I'll call my guards," she said.

"Wait." Blister lifted a claw. Her voice barely stirred the air. "We want to catch the intruder, not scare them off." She flicked her tail. "Come." Quietly she slithered over the side of the pavilion and flew to the cliff wall.

Coral, Anemone, and Gill followed immediately, and the four - five, Glory was flying invisibly from the kitchen level - dragonets of destiny went after them.

"_It's Webs,_" sent Sunny.

"_Yes, it is. Warn the others, I'll keep an eye on Blister._"

"_Will do._"

Blister landed on a ledge beside the tallest waterfall. The water spilled out of a hole high above, nearly at the level of the canopy. It rushed in torrents down the cliff wall, dividing around boulders and sending out small clouds of spray.

More importantly, it was loud, loud enough to hide the wingbeats of nine dragons.

At the top of the waterfall, the SandWing hovered for a moment, studying the canopy carefully. From this height, the dragons far below looked like lizards, scurrying about. Starflight could see Whirlpool paddling frantically in circles with talons outstretched, trying to catch the pearl necklace as it twisted away from him. Glancing at Anemone, she was idly twirling her claw in circles, smirking slightly.

The canopy was thick and green, vines twisted together over centuries and leaves the size of dragon talons. Small blue flowers shaped like broken eggshells shone in the small sunlit gaps.

Webs stirred the leaves, crawling through the vines not far from the edge of the cliff.

"A spy," Queen Coral hissed under her breath.

Webs froze for a moment, and Blister struck, darting up into the leaves. She sank her talons into him, ripped him brutally out of the canopy, and flung him at Gill. A dragon-sized hole remained in the canopy.

Webs collided with Gill, slamming them both into the cliff wall. The Talon of Peace flapped his wings, pulling back, and Gill glared at Blister before realizing just who had been thrown at him.

"Oh," Blister said, sounding disappointed. "It's just a SeaWing."

"Not just any SeaWing," Coral said as Gill grabbed Webs by his neck. Her green eyes were sparks of rage and triumph. "This is Webs, our tribe's biggest traitor. I've been looking for him for years."

"Your Majesty - Majesties," Webs croaked, correcting himself when he recognized the king. He scrabbled at his throat. "Please. I've come to beg for mercy."

"**Mercy**," Coral hissed. "After what you did." She snarled at him. "Mercy denied." She moved to strike him, but Gill blocked her. "Gill, what is the meaning of this?"

"Coral, a traitor he may be, but we cannot ignore that through his crime, he saved Tsunami's life."

"But he **is** a traitor, and should be rewarded as a traitor deserves."

"Yet did he not raise Tsunami well? Did he not teach her Aquatic and help prepare her for life so well that she survived Queen Scarlet's arena?"

"Very well. He can plead his case," Coral hissed grudgingly.

"Wait," Tsunami broke in. "Webs, what are you **doing** here? We told you to wait at Jade Mountain with Dune!"

"Tsunami! You're safe! And the rest of you, too… where's Glory?"

"Hiding. And don't change the subject," Starflight answered. "Why did you leave Jade Mountain?"

Queen Coral was barking orders to ensure that no more Talons were in the area as Webs answered. "I had to warn the Talons that you were captured. They already knew - Scarlet wasn't exactly subtle - but they had a backup plan of sorts, one that meant they needed me dead. Crocodile helped me get away, and… I came here."

Gill shook him a little. "Were you followed?"

"I… no, I wasn't. I checked, and I swam part of the way, too deep to be seen from the surface. How did you escape?"

Sunny answered that one. "Starflight made a plan, got Clay to execute it when the NightWings took him away, and met up with us later."

"So," Queen Coral said menacingly, Blister looming behind her. "Welcome back, Webs. I thought you were too cowardly to ever return."

"I know I am not worthy of your mercy, Your Majesty," Webs said, kneeling. "But I heard - I hoped…"

"Why did you steal one of **my** eggs?" Queen Coral demanded. "You could have stolen from any other dragon in the Kingdom of the Sea."

Tsunami twitched.

"It had to be an egg due to hatch on the brightest night," Webs said, voice wavering. "And it had to fit the prophecy - the SeaWing egg of deepest blue. I'd seen your eggs when I was guarding them, before I… before I left."

"You mean ran away," Coral snarled. "In the middle of a battle."

"I remembered her egg," Webs pressed on, his wings drooping. Blister looked positively gleeful. "It was so blue - it had to be the right one. I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," he said in a rush. "But for peace… how could I not take that chance?"

"And how did you get into the hatchery?" Coral's tail lashed threateningly. "I had guards posted at that door every moment until the eggs hatched."

Could there be a secret way into the hatchery that the assassin could use?

"I drugged the guards," Webs admitted. "I - I knew someone who helped me slip a sleeping potion into their evening meal, bought it off a RainWing. They were asleep when I crawled in and out again with the egg. It wasn't their fault."

Coral struck him across the snout. "I killed them anyway," she snarled, "Their lack of vigilance risked what was not theirs to risk. As for the someone who helped you - your wife, I assume?"

Webs flinched.

"I thought so. Stupid of her not to run away with you. Of course, that's why she was reassigned from the kitchens to active duty in the war soon after. Too bad that first battle was such a bloodbath."

"Ordinarily, I would have spoken against it," Gill said quietly. "But you risked far too much in your theft. In your pursuit of peace, you risked Tsunami's sisters."

Webs looked as though all the light had been scraped out of his scales. Sunny edged a little closer, and Glory briefly shimmered light blue before returning to invisibility. Fortunately, no one noticed.

"The dragonets are safe…" Webs said quietly. "Do whatever you like to me, just… keep them safe. Please."

"I will," Coral rumbled. "We can start with you telling me where to find the Talons of Peace."

"Pointless," Gill interrupted before Tsunami could protest. "We can't spare the troops to hunt them down."

"For future reference, Gill, Shark keeps me updated on the war -"

"Your Majesty!" cried a messenger, tumbling out of the air and skidding to a stop at Queen Coral's claws. He bowed low, covering his head. "We found a suspicious dragon lurking outside. He must be working with Webs."

"Bring him to me," Queen Coral growled in a voice that rang off the cavern walls.

The messenger pointed down at the tunnel, where Piranha and a troop of SeaWing soldiers were dragging someone into the Summer Palace. They heaved him out of the water to fly him up to the queen. Riptide's talons flopped to the side, his eyes were closed, and he was bleeding heavily from a claw wound.

[Line Break]

It was a strange week.

Not exactly a bad strange, but Turtle had heard the rumors from the surface, that the king had been rescued, that the Dragonets of Destiny, the sister he had never met, had come to the Kingdom of the Sea. Then to see those rumors confirmed as his mother and her retinue had come storming down to check on the eggs, and the uproar when King Gill (not father, never father, he didn't deserve to call him that) had convinced Mother to bring the eggs to the Summer Palace (safety). He had even seen the wayward sister, waved to her, and seen the recognition in her eyes of the royal patterns on his wings. Now he, and five of his small army of brothers, sat in Fin's room in the Princes' Wing.

"So we have another sister," said Azure, who was from the same hatching as the mysterious elder princess. "I'd thought she was dead."

"So it seems," responded Fathom, one of the oldest princes, named for the Animus prince of old.

"What's her name?" asked Trench, the only prince at the little gathering younger than Turtle, being from Anemone's hatching.

"Tsunami," stated Fin, aspiring cartographer extraordinaire. "I heard from Uncle Shark."

"What's she like?" Octopus was talking, a prince from Turtle's own hatching.

Trench was the one to answer. "She's… nice. A little intense. I talked to her while Mother and Father were discussing what to do with our newest sisters. A bit rude, though, didn't really introduce herself."

Turtle winced. Fin was quick to comfort him.

"Turtle, that wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known what Snapper looked like, or where she was. She wasn't even in the Deep Palace when Father sent you to find her."

"No, no, there had to have been something I could do. I could have stood guard myself -"

"And what good is a two-year-old dragonet against an assassin that was killing since well before you hatched?" Fathom interrupted.

"I could have hid. Even if I couldn't save them, I could have hid and seen who did it."

Or used his magic, but nobody knew about that. Nobody **could** know about that.

"Father's back now," Fin noted. "You can clear things up with him. He's usually very calm, I don't think he really meant what he said to you that day -"

"But whether or not he did, he was still right. I failed. I volunteered for a task I couldn't do -"

"But not because of any failure of yours," Octopus said. "I was there, remember? Are you forgetting that you asked others where she was? Only an Animus could get to the Summer Palace and back in the time you would have had to."

"And Father failed too," Fathom added quickly. "He left to get a healer instead of waiting. I saw him berating himself over it - when I asked he said that Abalone told him not to leave."

Trench hugged Turtle. "If you want, I can be there when you talk to Father," he offered.

"Thanks, Trench, but I can't. The failure is mine." Turtle flexed his claws. "I could still have hidden in the hatchery."

"Consider it," Fin told him. "Sleep on it, and decide whether you prefer going to him yourself… or having us bring him to you. Either way, it's not healthy for you to keep going on blaming yourself when more capable dragons failed to do what you tried. You did your best."

"My best wasn't good enough," Turtle flashed dejectedly. "I need to be better. I - we are princes. We must be the best, an example to all other SeaWings. I failed in my duty as a prince by my composure, in my duty to our father by not succeeding in what he told me to do, and in my duty to myself by failing to keep my word."

"You acted with the urgency expected of that situation, so you succeeded in your duty as a prince. As to the others, you **couldn't **have kept your word. You had no control over Snapper's location, nor Abalone's sickness. It. Wasn't. Your. Fault." Fathom jabbed a claw at Turtle to emphasize the last four signals.

Before Turtle could respond, Fin beat his wings, sending a pulse of water through the room. "Think on it. Consider how you want to approach the conversation you **will **have with Father. Go to your room, get a good night's sleep. I'll go to the Summer Palace in the morning and see what's going on." Grinning a little, he continued. "This meeting of the Cheer Turtle Up Club is henceforth adjourned. Skedaddle, all of you!"

"But, Fin! It's midmorning!" Octopus protested.

"Then have a nice midmorning nap."

Yes, a strange week, and all the stranger for the morning's discussion. Still, it wasn't a bad strange.

* * *

Webs' scales paled nearly to gray as Riptide was tossed unceremoniously onto the ledge. Which was getting rather cramped.

"Bring them to the… library level." Queen Coral decided. Webs and Riptide were picked up and flown to the library level of the pavilion, the dragonets (one still invisible) and the royals following. Webs seemed to take the time to compose himself. Moray swooped into the library behind them.

"Your Majesty, he had nothing to do with this. He's never had any contact with me since I ran away."

"I think he's telling the truth," Tsunami chipped in. "If Webs was trying to sneak through the canopy, it makes no sense for an accomplice to be captured… where, exactly?"

"Near the main entrance, Your Highness," responded a guard.

"Exactly. Too far, and Riptide doesn't exactly need a sneaky way into the palace. If Webs was working with him, couldn't he just ask Riptide to do whatever he'd need done, since Riptide can just enter without being attacked - what was he even doing when you captured him?" She directed the last question to the guards.

"Screaming and pleading his innocence, Your Highness," Piranha deadpanned.

"Before that."

"Looking shifty."

Gill looked at Piranha. "You need a better reason than that to attack someone who's not obviously an enemy, Piranha, Tempest taught you better than that." Piranha winced. "Sorry, Your Majesty."

"But that family can't be trusted…" Blister murmured, almost too quiet for Starflight to hear. Gill shot her a sharp look.

"Indeed… admit your treachery," the queen spat at Riptide, who had by that time recovered enough to sit up. "Betrayal runs in your family, after all." She swiped half-heartedly at Riptide's snout, but he backed out of reach. Piranha moved to poke him with the spear, but Gill shook his head minutely.

"Don't hurt him," Tsunami said. "Please. He's probably not working for the Talons of Peace…"

Riptide winced, and Starflight shot him a look. Seriously? Regardless of Riptide's dubious loyalties, Starflight spoke up to support Tsunami.

"What are the odds of two Talons on completely unrelated missions in the same place at the same time, Your Majesty?"

"Throw them both in the new prison," Coral said. "We'll find out what we need to know about the Talons later, when I feel a little more violent."

"Don't you have one more question for them?" Blister interjected.

Gill and Coral looked at her, one suspiciously, and the other attentively.

"Why they killed all of your heirs," Blister purred. "I mean, **obviously** it was them, right?"

"Obviously!" Coral burst out. She glared at Webs and Riptide.

"Working together," Blister murmured. "It's the perfect climax to the story."

"It **is**," Coral agreed.

"Except that this isn't a story. Blister, what are you playing at?" Gill cut in harshly.

"Playing at? I'm merely solving the mystery, Gill," Blister said. While she appeared affronted, she was positively gleeful. Why?

"Why do **you** want Webs dead, Blister? Think about it, Coral. They couldn't have destroyed the eggs, at least not all of them. The ones in the hatching before Anemone's. Riptide was halfway across the bay, and where was Webs, Tsunami?"

"Two, three years ago? In the cave with us, helping Dune keep an eye on us. He couldn't have left easily without us knowing."

"How could he have done so?"

"An underground river, the same one we used to escape. It's a tricky swim. I don't think Webs could fit through there, and on the way back, he'd be fighting the current in a confined space. I'm not even sure it's possible." Tsunami finished with a grin.

"So if Webs and Riptide were not involved in one of the killings, that creates doubt in their involvement in the others. By Fathom, if Webs was the assassin, Tsunami would be dead, and the other three eggs would have been smashed that day instead of a week later."

"But there **is** a motive," Blister said smoothly.

"But no means," Gill countered.

"Their allies in the Talons could have done it. Nautilus, for -"

"And what would one of the three dragons we try hardest to avoid know of Talons leadership?" Webs hissed. Blister looked calm, but a bolt of alarm shot through her.

"I have my spies, of course, and no doubt my sisters have theirs," she responded smoothly.

She'd slipped up. That was the only way to explain the alarm. It would have been Morrowseer that told her, so that meant that the SeaWings didn't know about the agreement between Blister and the NightWings, and she didn't want them to know. Interesting…

"Anyway, this is the ending that wraps everything together. Like in **The Claws of Murder**, or **A Tail of Blood**. That one was genius, by the way."

"And you still haven't told us why you want Webs dead. Pardon my bluntness, but you have no stake in this."

Starflight focused on Blister's mind. Images of an island in a storm, Morrowseer, memories of frustration.

"_So what you're saying is, two of the three dragons who could present a security risk to our backup plan are off the grid, and the third is being ambushed right now?_"

What backup plan? Starflight gently broadcast "_Ah, the backup plan,_" along with a faint feeling of smugness, and -

_It's terribly rude to eavesdrop on one's private thoughts, NightWing. Get out._

Starflight complied. Blister glared at him.

"What's wrong?" Coral asked.

"It's nothing."

"Then take them to the prison," Gill ordered. "We'll continue later."

Starflight caught Gill's eye and broadcasted "_We need to talk to you alone. Prophecy business._"

Gill nodded, drawing a strange look from Coral, but no comments.

[Line Break]

The dragonets had been returned to the cave they had found, Glory following them, and soon enough Gill walked in.

"What's this about prophecy business?"

"Not **that** prophecy. I had one that's probably about the murders," Starflight explained.

Gill stiffened. "What is it?"

One recited prophecy later, Gill looked a little confused. "Yeah, that's probably Orca if her last words were any indication, but what's with the second bit?"

Tsunami responded. "I think it means that I need to go to the Royal Hatchery and fight the assassin. We need you to cover for me. I'll need a spear, armor, and one or two dragons you trust."

"The prophecy says 'alone'."

"I'll fight it alone. We think the assassin's some sort of enchanted statue, but it's probably enchanted to attack when it thinks it won't be detected, or whatever passes for thinking in a statue. If I can catch it out of position and force it into a situation where it'll be discovered, it'll stop, right?"

"That makes sense," Gill mused. "But I don't like the idea of you fighting an enchanted statue alone. It could be ridiculously strong, fast, invisible while attacking, invulnerable - there's a very real chance you won't make it out alive."

"It wouldn't **need** to be those things," Tsunami argued. "It's meant to smash eggs."

"At least let Sunny help you."

Starflight shook his head. "We tried to convince her. She's fixated on the idea of destroying the statue piece by piece without magical assistance."

"I won't help you unless you let Sunny help you," Gill said flatly.

"And if you don't help, I'll get the spear and armor from the armory, go to the Deep Palace, grab some dragons who seem trustworthy, and fight the statue anyway."

"Not if we restrain you."

"Prophecy. It's fated. I'll find some way down there."

"She has a point…" Glory murmured, shimmering into visibility.

"Then Sunny can help you whether you want to or not," Gill said, glancing at Sunny. "Right?"

"No," Sunny answered. "I can't know what spear she'll pick, or what armor."

"Can't Starflight?" Gill challenged.

"I'm good, but not **that** good. Short of having Sunny enchant all the spears and armor, there's no way to guarantee that Tsunami picks up enchanted gear."

"How about this?" Clay offered. "Tsunami can fight the murder-statue alone, with no enchanted gear except for a failsafe. If you feel like it's going to kill you, use the failsafe, ok?"

"Fine," Tsunami said. "What failsafe do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking the spear. You'll be underwater, right? Break the shaft and touch any part of the spear to the statue to encase it in ice, giving you time to escape and get help. Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me!" Sunny chirped.

"I dunno… what if the statue breaks it accidentally?"

"Sunny can also enchant it so that only you can break it, and only by intending to."

"That sounds like it could work," said Glory.

"Then it's settled. Gill, Tsunami, prepare what you need, then bring the spear here for Sunny to enchant. Then Gill will do whatever he can to ensure that Tsunami's not needed up here, and Tsunami will fulfil the prophecy."

"And if Gill fails, I can impersonate Tsunami again," Glory added. "Nobody noticed when I did it to get into the kitchens."

"That's a last resort," Sunny warned. "You won't be able to disguise yourself perfectly. You don't actually have gills or webbed talons, among other things."

* * *

Tsunami returned shortly, wearing a light set of scale armor and presenting a mid-sized spear to Sunny.

"I enchant this spear to, when broken and touched to a statue, push it back and encase it in enough ice to give Tsunami the SeaWing time to escape the Royal SeaWing Hatchery. I also enchant it to be unbreakable to any dragon save for Tsunami, and to only break when Tsunami intends to break it," Sunny intoned gravely, waving her talons over the newly enchanted spear.

"Did you need to do that?" Tsunami asked. "That thing with your talons, I mean."

"Nope! I just felt like it. I didn't really have to talk, either, but I wanted to be sure."

"Alright… wish me luck!"

With that, Tsunami turned and dove, being joined by two burly SeaWing guards as she entered the tunnel and left the Summer Palace. Starflight turned to Sunny.

"By the way, what happened with the enchanted stick?"

Sunny grinned and gestured to Glory, who indicated thin bands of seaweed wrapped around her leg.

"I passed it to Glory when we first ran into Shark. Couldn't risk the guards confiscating and losing such a unique item, and nobody notices the RainWing, even when she's stealing seaweed from the entrance. To be fair, it was only a little," Sunny said with a grin.

Glory left after a few minutes, saying it was to keep an eye on Blister. Nothing of consequence happened… until a statue came bursting from the water several hours later.

* * *

Gill sat in his pool on the Council level as a debate raged on around him. Now, ordinary debates in the Council were usually about which poor fool would be assigned to the Dragonet Care position, one currently occupied by a very fortunate Tortoise. Minutes later, and she would likely have had her teeth ripped out and her brains splattered all over the floor instead of merely being firmly reprimanded alongside Commander Shark. This argument, however, revolved around the known traitor Webs, and his son the suspected traitor Riptide, both of whom were held in the new prison - and how new the prison was, that Gill had never even heard of its existence, the plans being drafted and executed after his capture.

Of course, only ten of the twelve members of the Council were in attendance - Tortoise was managing the Royal Hatchery, and Shark was still in the dungeon pending a talk with Coral. Unfortunately, Princess Blister had seen fit to attend and was lounging next to Tortoise's pool.

"Let me interrogate Riptide, my queen! I'm sure I can determine whether he is a Talon," requested Cuttlefish, the blue dragon in charge of spying who had held that position since before Coral was queen.

"There is no indication that he is a traitor, Cuttlefish!" Porpoise argued. The dragon in charge of the queen's justice was often at odds with Cuttlefish over due process.

"Piranha captured him lurking outside the palace, what more indication do you want, an admission of guilt?" Cuttlefish snapped.

"Ideally, yes, considering that Piranha admitted that the only reason he was captured was, and I quote, 'looking shifty'."

Most of the Council simply sat back and watched the fierce, and extremely circular, argument, Blister occasionally adding something to help Cuttlefish and Gill supporting Porpoise. Coral looked rather amused. Of course, Gill's job was to keep the meeting going as long as possible, so as to cover Tsunami's absence. Not that Cuttlefish and Porpoise needed help, seeing as they had been arguing for close to half an hour solely over what was to be done with Riptide. Finally, Porpoise raised a new point.

"Perhaps we should discuss the proven traitor before the possible innocent," she pointed out.

"Yes, indeed! Webs is a deserter, a traitor, and a Talon of Peace. I think it obvious what should be done with him - hand him over to me and I'll have him spilling everything he knows about the Talons," Cuttlefish declared.

"I disagree," Blister countered. "He was under a mountain for seven years, at a remove from anything important. Anything he can tell you, my source in the Talons can match and exceed."

"And who is that source, Queen Blister? I would love to interview them," exclaimed Cuttlefish.

"You of all dragons should be aware of the possibility of a traitor, Councillor. All you need to know is that he is a highly placed mole."

Cuttlefish looked slightly disappointed, but didn't comment.

"He is useless to us," Blister continued. "For his crimes, he should be executed at once."

"Unless anyone has objections?" Gill asked, looking pointedly at Porpoise.

"I object. He should be handed over to me and Cuttlefish so that we can determine the full extent of his crimes. Queen Blister's source isn't here right now, so Webs is the only lead we currently have on the Talons of Peace, and therefore the only way for us to know whether other SeaWings are in the Talons."

"But, Porpoise, we have another Talon in custody, and one who has had much more contact with the outside world than Webs! He is superfluous, and therefore there is no point letting him live when his crimes are so great. Even disregarding other crimes he's committed, he is a deserter and guilty of high treason, both of which are punishable by death."

"Riptide is innocent until proven guilty, as you well know, Cuttlefish!"

"He was caught in the act of espionage!"

"He was caught 'looking shifty'. What was he going to hear at the entrance, secret military plans? Piranha, I would hope your dragons have more sense than that."

"They do," Piranha admitted.

"There we go! Right now, he is merely under suspicion of treason, and thus falls under **my** jurisdiction, which means that Webs is not, in fact, superfluous," Porpoise concluded triumphantly.

"In which case, we should shelve the discussion on what to do with Webs until after Riptide is interviewed by Porpoise's dragons," Gill added helpfully.

"On the contrary, we can simply hand Riptide over to Cuttlefish, as my source has told me that Riptide is a Talon," Blister countered.

"But is your witness reliable? I find it unlikely that your source would be able to name Riptide specifically, seeing as if he were a Talon, he wouldn't be a very important one since he has almost no opportunities to gather information," Gill argued. "In addition to that, you've been expressing a desire to have Webs killed since we caught him. **Princess** Blister, your judgement is skewed. It is Porpoise's duty to be impartial and thorough, so perhaps we should leave the matter of Riptide to her. My queen, is that acceptable?" _And if it is, and Webs should happen to mysteriously escape… _

Coral thought it over for a few seconds before nodding. "It is. Riptide shall be interviewed this evening by dragons of Porpoise's choosing."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Now, onto the matter of Webs…" Porpoise said with a grateful nod to Gill. She always hated it when due process was ignored.

"As Gill mentioned, that matter shall be shelved until the question of Riptide's guilt is settled," Coral added grudgingly.

Blister was inscrutable, but Gill was sure she was screaming inside. He had no idea **why** she wanted Webs dead, but he was more than happy to oppose her.

"My apologies for not being certain," Gill began, not sounding sorry at all. "I have, after all, been to only one other Council meeting in the last year, and that one was cut short, but the next matter to discuss is taxation, right?"

"Indeed," Pearl said. "All SeaWings, save for those currently in the army, pay a monthly tax of five percent of their income. To compensate for the lost tax revenue from the army, the army is not paid, but instead provided with free weapons and armor."

"And, just to check, they are also provided with free lodging?"

"Not just for their benefit but for ours as well," Piranha answered.

"Good, so the same as when I was captured. I'd been meaning to put forward a motion for an alteration to that law. If I may?" Coral nodded. "I propose that we should reduce the taxes levied on those who provide certain services - namely the hunters and Lagoon's aquaculture specialists. Without them, we could not have kept the army supplied adequately at the time I was captured. Piranha, has that changed?"

"If anything, the situation is worse now. When you were captured, the army was providing a third of its own food. Now, that number is down to a quarter owing to the frequent skirmishes and patrols cutting into the time they can use to hunt. Our surplus is dropping, and it was never that large to begin with. I've taken measures to increase the amount of time the army has to hunt for its own food, but that's only a stopgap measure."

"Then I feel that a tax reduction is warranted to entice more dragons to support the army. Those dragons who are barely scraping by but are hesitant to join the army will jump at the chance," Gill said.

"And the reduction in inflow to the crown?" Pearl asked. "This measure could drastically harm the Royal Treasury."

"Which is why we should also establish trade links with the RainWing tribe. Fruits, potions, that kind of thing. Would that work?"

"With a bit more fine-tuning, it should. We'd have to discuss it further."

"Is that all on that topic?" Coral asked.

"Yes, my queen," Gill responded.

"Then Pearl, Gill, Piranha, Lagoon, and Strait will stay behind after the meeting to further discuss alterations to the tax laws and trade links with the RainWings. Moray, anything to report?"

The discussion turned to communication and Piranha's issues with the current system. Yes, it should be simple to keep the meeting going for another few hours, and improve the kingdom while doing so.


	17. Statue

**Hermes: It's CORONA TIME! **

**Apollo: Our sincerest apologies for the wait. Nearly three months, to me at least, is far too long. To save space in our ANs, we have elected to provide a blanket response to all reviews, past, present, and future, that are simply along the lines of "Thank you, it's really good." That response is thus: thank you. Do not take the fact that your reviews aren't being answered in these ANs personally, as we get more reviews we may need to do this to most other reviews as well. Now, on to the other reviews! **

**Artemis: To , we weren't actually thinking about any comparisons between our Blaze and Lady Jewel, and we just wanted Blister to sound creepy and vaguely evil. **

**Apollo: She's immune to Starflight's manipulations not because of any special powers or enchanted items, but through an absolute knowledge of herself. Anything even slightly out of character is grounds for suspicion in her eyes. **

**Hermes: To shirzadym, thanks :) **

**Apollo: Artemis, want to go into more depth? **

**Artemis: I hope you like the loophole we used. You were completely right about the minimum time bit, and the spear cannot be broken by any DRAGON other than Tsunami. Marble Orca, if we're being technical, is a dragon-shaped rock, not a dragon. Thanks for the long and well-thought-out review. **

**Apollo: I do, however, consider Under a War-Torn Sky to be much better than our work, among a couple others in this fandom. Even with author's bias. To Blackberry Avar, don't worry about being three months late, so are we. Sorry about the prophecy, but think about it. We have a dragon who can see the future. It was, in this fandom, considering Moonwatcher and Clearsight, pretty much unavoidable, and I tried to make it good. Sorry about the chess moves as well, I kinda got carried away. **

**Artemis: Apollo here is disturbingly obsessed with chess. **

**Apollo: It's meant to be a sort of slice of life, Blaze's mask slipping and Glacier not noticing, but as I said, I got carried away. As for the verbal flaw, the targeted eggs have already been removed from the Royal Hatchery. I'm just going to take a moment to say that the commentary of all you readers is appreciated and cherished. **

**Hermes: To Trysin, thanks :) **

**Artemis: *smacks Hermes* What he means to say is, we don't have a document, but we do have three people who are perfectly happy to smack each other upside the head if we get a fact wrong, and we go through the chapter before we post it to make sure it's consistent. **

**Apollo: I actually replaced Tortoise with the second-in-command we devised for her because I remembered that I'd put her in the Deep Palace with the male eggs during Gill's distraction/Council meeting. **

**Artemis: I absolutely refused to let Gill die, that bugged me in canon, and we liked the personality we saw in canon flashbacks, so we built on that. We just wanted to show Turtle because they're in his kingdom interacting with his family, but he won't really be relevant until Moon's team comes into play. **

**Apollo: Finally, the pandemic in the room. This is a really messed up situation that, while it could be a lot better, it could also be a lot worse. Stay at home, stay healthy, and whatever you do, the American federal government is doing a lot worse than you are. Coronavirus briefings are for coronavirus, not Facebook or military anti-narcotics missions. We'll try not to take so long next time, but I have final exams coming up, and I'm the main writer here. After this chapter and the next, we're finally done with the Kingdom of the Sea.**

* * *

The statue was carved of dark green marble, with garlands of blue and purple plants woven through its horns and wings. Sunny bolted out of the cave, shouting "It's after the eggs!"

She was right. That was the statue from the vision, but where was Tsunami? Starflight flew hurriedly down towards the statue, which had turned and started swimming east as a burly SeaWing ducked behind the waterfall hiding the queen's chambers. Clay followed close behind, and Glory was moving toward the pavilion.

"What's going on?" asked Clay as six armed and armored guards moved to engage the statue.

"Tsunami must have failed! But that doesn't make sense, I didn't see anything about her dying, she's too skilled. We need to stop that thing."

Clay dove at the statue while shouting a war cry. Unfortunately, the shouting distracted the guards, and two of them were struck so hard by Marble Orca's tail that they skipped over the water, screaming all the while. Starflight extended his awareness, landing on a ledge by the waterfall.

Glory was in the pavilion, fast approaching the Council. The two unfortunate guards were unconscious, but still alive. The statue itself had a primitive mind of its own and appeared to be analyzing the fighting style of the four remaining guards. Moving up the tunnel…

"_Tsunami! You're alive! What happened, the statue's here and beating four guards at once, plus Clay._"

_FINALLY! I've been thinking as loud as I could the whole way back! I'll be there in a minute, you'll find out what happened when this is over._

In the time it took for the exchange to happen, another guard had been sent spinning away, bleeding heavily. Clay and the three remaining guards were trying to wrestle Marble Orca to a beach, but it was thrashing hard. Sunny flew over to Starflight.

"If this goes on much longer, I'll have to curse it. Where's Tsunami - ah."

"Any second now…"

Tsunami burst from the water, carrying the blade of the spear she had left with and wearing about half of the light armor she had donned earlier.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARDLY PILE OF ROCKS!"

"She's fine," Sunny commented lightly. Starflight looked into the mind of the statue.

_Warning: target approaching._

Memories flashed - disjointed images of Tsunami snarling and a rapid perspective change… as if the viewer had been thrown against a wall.

_Engage with caution. Cannot achieve victory with prior four enemies involved. Solution - attack immobile targets. Force enemies into narrow space._

Before Starflight could shout, or even broadcast, a warning, the statue completed a particularly vicious spin, dislodging the SeaWings in the process, and lunged towards the beach. Before Tsunami was halfway to Marble Orca, it rolled in an attempt to crush Clay, forcing him to let go. The statue promptly grabbed him and threw him at Tsunami.

"Blade of Tsunami's spear, be blunt," Sunny incanted quietly.

Clay collided with Tsunami, knocking her into the water. If not for Sunny's foresight, he would surely have been impaled. The statue darted toward the waterfall, but Sunny was already moving to intercept it. Sparks flashed.

_Animus magic detected - no dragon could naturally hold their position against that strike. Certainty that SandWing-like dragon is the source - 98.54%. Probability of mobile target (estimation 7 years old) being the source - 1.02%. Probability of unseen source - 0.44%. Attempt lethal blow. _

The statue lashed out with its claws, faster than any dragon could have a hope of reacting to, but Sunny was already in motion, grabbing the claw and reaching for Marble Orca's face. Where there had once been two gems serving as eyes, it now had one, likely lost to Tsunami. Almost delicately, Sunny plucked the other gem from its place, throwing it behind her. Of course, the statue did not react to the loss of the eye. It was, after all, an enchanted statue.

_Opponent has enhanced reaction time - no. Not reaction, precognition. Target was in motion prior to the attack commencing. Eye lost. Irrelevant. Cover already lost. INCOMING - _

Tsunami crashed into the statue, knocking it toward the beach where Clay was just getting up. She got her legs under her, digging into the sand and **pushed**. Slowly, as dragons began to pour from the pavilion in full armor, Tsunami forced the statue onto the beach.

"Clay, now!"

It was good that Kestrel had beat the knowledge of how to fight well into their skulls, Starflight thought, because that meant that the dragonets knew exactly where to strike to disable an opponent. With a mighty blow, Clay broke off the statue's left wing at the joint. Then the right wing.

_Wings lost. Open sea swimming capacity - 2%. Probability of destroying immobile targets - 0.0001%. With generous rounding. What would Orca do?_

"You three! Help us hold this thing down!" Tsunami called to the three guards still capable of fighting. Starflight flew down to the beach.

"And where have you been?" Tsunami asked crossly.

"Trying to figure out what makes that thing tick. It has a mind, Tsunami. Orca gave it a mind of its own! It has thoughts! I can sense them!" Starflight whispered excitedly.

_Annoyance detected. Capability - 0%. Currently pinned by 5 dragons. More incoming. Situation hopeless. Animus not neutralized. This can't really get worse._

"And what would that accomplish in saving my sisters?" Tsunami asked.

"It doesn't, but I can't do anything else. What happened down there?"

"I'll tell everyone later, but the short version is that I fought it, won as I defined it, and then it reacted… oddly. By which I mean, it started swimming here. It delayed me a bit."

Rather conveniently, Queen Coral chose that moment to land on the beach, flanked by Gill and Anemone. "What is going on here?"

* * *

They must have made an odd sight. Four SeaWings and a MudWing pinning a statue, with a small SandWing trying to help them and a NightWing standing awkwardly to the side.

"Hello, Mother!" Tsunami began. "We've caught you the assassin! You know, the one that's been killing my sisters?" She kicked the statue.

"What… is that Orca's statue?"

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees."

"What is it doing here?" Queen Coral asked imperiously.

"Trying to kill me, Anemone, and our unhatched sisters, Mother."

"That reminds me," one of the guards pinning Marble Orca chipped in. "Your Majesty, your youngest daughters hatched not long ago."

"And you didn't send for me immediately?" Coral exclaimed.

"You were in a Council meeting, Your Majesty. King Gill instructed us to not interrupt you unless we were under attack."

Gill nodded. "I did. Why did you not send anyone to get us? We only noticed the attack because of Tsunami's… war cry."

Tsunami ducked her head… then remembered she was pinning a marble statue, which promptly tried to flip her over. It failed.

"Well, by the time Pelican got us out of the cave, it was already attacking us, and his entrance let it take Swordfish and Bottlenose out of the fight. Do you know if they're dead? They were hit pretty hard," the guard explained, jabbing a claw at Clay.

"They're knocked out," Starflight said.

"Well, that's good. Anyway, Reef is inside with the dragonets, Your Majesty. What would you like us to do with this?"

"Perhaps we could interrogate it?" Blister asked smoothly as she landed on the beach. "You **do** have an animus dragon to do so with…"

"An excellent idea!" the queen exclaimed. "Anemone, if you would?"

Anemone sighed and nodded. "Statue. I enchant you to obey my commands. You will not attack anyone. You will not attempt to escape. You are bound to my will… and mine alone."

Nothing perceptible happened. However, Starflight could feel the statue's mind rebelling against the compulsion, trying to keep fighting… and failing.

"Who do you obey, statue?"

"You, sister," the statue ground out in the voice of a female SeaWing, perhaps Tsunami's age. Coral gasped.

"Orca?"

Anemone continued on, inexorably. "Who enchanted you?"

"Orca."

"Why?" asked the queen. The statue remained silent.

"Why did Orca enchant you?" Anemone asked.

"I don't know."

"A-ask the statue why it speaks in Orca's voice," Queen Coral commanded, sounding shaken.

"Why do you speak in Orca's voice?"

"I don't know."

"Take your best guess, then."

"She created me. Animus magic affects the soul. Perhaps I contain a fragment of her."

"What was your enchantment?" Blister asked. The statue remained silent. "Well? Answer me!"

The statue smiled.

"It's only bound to answer my questions, Queen Blister. Statue, what was your enchantment?" Anemone said.

"Enchant this statue to kill royal SeaWing heirs, but not me, and to do so undetected whenever possible. It shall know when dragons enter the passageway to the Royal Hatchery, and how many dragons are in the passageway and the Hatchery proper at all times." Marble Orca recited.

"I think that's all, wouldn't you agree, Coral?" Blister asked.

"Yes, it is. Anemone -"

"Wait," Gill said. "Statue, do you know why Orca challenged for the throne?" Coral looked at him questioningly. "Please, humor this old general's sentimental question," Gill said.

The statue did not stay silent. "She thought she could get us out of the war."

"Ah," Gill sighed, "of course. No more questions."

"Anemone, destroy the statue," Queen Coral ordered.

Anemone nodded and raised her talons. "I strip away the enchantments from you, statue. Crumble to dust and be no more."

The statue crumbled to dust and washed away with the waves.

* * *

"Tsunami, what in the name of Fathom's animated octopus happened down there?" Gill asked as soon as they were alone. Coral had gone into her quarters to coo over her youngest daughters, Anemone in tow, Blister had gone to see just how flooded her cave was, and the guards had dispersed, leaving the five dragonets and Gill alone.

"I fought the statue, won, and it ran up here. What did you think, it killed me?" Tsunami deadpanned.

"For a minute, yeah," Clay said. "The thing you're supposed to fight shows up out of nowhere, you're not there, and it's going after your sisters? I thought you were dead until you showed up screaming."

"So, again, what. Happened."

"Exactly what I told you, Father. Do you want the blow-by-blow, 'cause that could take a while."

"We have nothing but time, Tsunami. King and general, remember?"

"Alright. So after I left the Summer Palace…"

* * *

It was pitch-black in the Royal Hatchery, but to SeaWing eyes, it was merely cast in shades of grey and somewhat blurry, with flashes of color coming from the three eggs when the unhatched princes moved. The room was cavernous, roughly rectangular, with the statue at its center. The guards Tsunami had brought had relieved the prior guards, then by Tsunami's order moved to take up positions flanking the outside entrance of the passageway to the Royal Hatchery, leaving the eldest surviving princess of the SeaWing tribe alone, with only her armor, spear, and an enchanted statue for company. Never mind the fact that she didn't actually know how to use the spear. Not one of her smartest moves, Tsunami reflected ruefully, but an enchanted spear was better than nothing.

"Statue? Assassin? Are you going to kill me?"

The statue didn't move. It was uncomfortably hot.

"I know Orca enchanted you."

Well, not quite, but who else would have enchanted anything?

"I guess I'm just gonna leave, then."

The statue lunged. Tsunami braced herself against the floor, but the force of a solid marble statue traveling at a not-inconsiderable speed bowled her over, and she kicked the statue up before it could capitalize. The statue pushed off of Tsunami, flipping in the water, and dug its claws into the ceiling.

Obviously, it would try to crush Tsunami. She grinned, braced the spear against the floor, for all the good that would do against an opponent that didn't live, and backed away -

The spear shattered as the statue came down like an avalanche, encasing the statue in a thick layer of ice and bouncing it back up.

What.

Shards of stone flew everywhere, and Tsunami closed her eyes, feeling shrapnel skid across her scales. After a second, she looked. The spear shaft was destroyed, but the blade was intact. It had but skidded off the statue's neck, deflected by the smooth marble and carving a line from its throat along most of its body. The statue must not have struck head-on, and instead crushed the shaft of the spear, sending the blade spinning sluggishly through the water. Tsunami grabbed it.

How? It was supposed to be unbreakable to any dragon - oh, right, statue. Cracks were forming in the ice. Tsunami glanced at the door - the ice shattered - the statue lunged again. Tsunami snarled and grabbed it. Without a pedestal or a ceiling to push off of, it was limited to whatever force it could generate with a good wingbeat, and with the water slowing it down, the impact was easy to negate. The princess' talons bit into the stone beneath her, and she jumped over the statue, which hastily sank its own talons into the floor - effortlessly, Tsunami noted with envy, there were evidently benefits to talons made of hard stone - and, just as Tsunami had hoped, bent over backwards as it flipped Tsunami back down. As she made contact with the floor, she pulled, the stone beneath the statue gave way, being ripped upwards with a mighty **crack**, and Tsunami let go. The statue flew towards the wall, and Tsunami was already jumping after it.

The statue struck the wall with a muted boom. It looked up just in time for an enraged princess to latch onto its face, successfully removing an eye before the statue threw her off. The assassin jumped forward, grabbing Tsunami and advancing inexorably toward the opposite wall. Tsunami reversed her grip on the blade of her destroyed spear, stabbing down again and again with enough power to chip the marble, but the statue was undeterred. It reached the wall, pinned Tsunami between the wall and floor, and swiped for her throat.

Tsunami was pinned. Statue holding her in one direction, wall and floor in two more…

It should have pinned her in a corner.

In one fluid motion Tsunami twisted and lunged forward and upward. The statue managed to keep its grip on the warrior, eliciting a grunt of pain from the princess as her foreleg was twisted with the motion, but lost its grip on the floor, again, sending both combatants spinning back toward the center of the room.

Keeping it away from the princes was easily accomplished, it wasn't interested in them, but it was **strong**. Maybe in open air it would be more easily overwhelmed, but even with the situational awareness beaten into Tsunami's head by Kestrel, it was painfully clear that she couldn't win. Her blade couldn't damage her opponent in any meaningful way, and as strong as she was, that meant nothing without leverage, which the statue kept denying her. She had gotten one or two good hits in, but the failsafe was triggered and she hadn't taken advantage of it. Time to skedaddle - hopefully the enchantment wouldn't let it leave the hatchery.

Tsunami managed to twist out of the grip of the statue, accompanied by the sound of her armor breaking and ripping off her foreleg, aimed for the door, and pushed off, rocketing toward the exit. Risking a glance behind her, she saw that it was still spinning, but was quickly getting its motion under control. She yanked open the door.

The statue beat its wings once. Twice. It wasn't stopping, it was getting closer -

Tsunami spun out of the way, letting the statue crash outside the Royal Hatchery, but it had managed to snag another part of Tsunami's armor. Thankfully, the back of the armor ripped off easily, having been subjected to the force of a diving statue. It got up, snarled at Tsunami, and…

Turned and started moving away as fast as it could. What was it doing, the witness was back here - the Summer Palace. It was going after Tsunami's sisters.

Blade ready, armor on her underbelly and three limbs, Tsunami set off down the passageway. There could be no delay. She had to get into Starflight's range before the statue arrived at the Summer Palace.

* * *

Sparing a glance for the two guards (conscious, but to bring them would be an unacceptable delay), Tsunami left the palace as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, she didn't know the place well and had to stop to ask for directions once from someone who, by his patterns, was one of Tsunami's brothers (perhaps waiting for the guards would have been a good idea), but all in all, she made good time out of the palace. The statue was equally unfamiliar with the palace's layout, and it didn't know where the ocean currents were. What a stroke of luck! Tsunami angled toward the current that would speed her to the Summer Palace -

So did the statue. It must have seen her leave the Deep Palace. By all the snakes…

And so it was that Tsunami found herself chasing a statue to the Summer Palace. Her superior swimming technique (not by much) was countered by the statue's brute strength, as any time Tsunami got too close it would beat its wings again and Tsunami's rhythm was disturbed by the water moving significantly slower than she was. It accelerated.

_STARFLIGHT! STARFLIGHT! STARFLIGHT! _

Marble Orca was getting better at swimming. Now, with skill it had not possessed at the beginning of the chase, and with its strength exceeding even Tsunami's own, it pulled further and further away. Not far to the Summer Palace, but the gap was widening. The armor was flapping around, not as much as it would have been were it not still around Tsunami's left foreleg, but enough to cause drag. Worse, she could feel the armor around that leg begin to part - it couldn't stand up to the water pulling at it in its damaged state. Tsunami pulled her legs in even further, blade flush against her underbelly, but even then, the statue kept pulling ahead. Thirty dragon-lengths - forty - fifty - gone.

_STARFLIGHT! ANSWER ME, IN FATHOM'S NAME!_

She kept swimming. Just get into range… couldn't be much farther…

* * *

Tsunami had been swimming for what felt like days, but she knew it could only have been a few minutes.

"_Tsunami! You're alive! What happened, the statue's here and beating four guards at once, plus Clay._"

_FINALLY! I've been thinking as loud as I could the whole way back! I'll be there in a minute, you'll find out what happened when this is over._

Took him long enough. Tsunami was pretty sure he'd sensed the NightWings from much further away when Morrowseer had kidnapped him, he sure didn't seem surprised… but if the statue was already there and wreaking havoc, it was understandable that he'd be a bit distracted. And if the statue was there, it **was** a reasonable assumption that she was dead, if a bit hurtful. The spiral rocks came into view. Tsunami ducked into the tunnel, swam hurriedly past the breathing holes, and pushed off the bottom of the tunnel at the end, transitioning seamlessly into flight as she twisted to face the queen's quarters - and, she was satisfied to note, the statue.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARDLY PILE OF ROCKS!"

* * *

"And you know the rest."

Gill blinked. "Somehow, I was expecting more chaos."

"Did anything happen with Webs and Riptide?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah, I convinced Coral to hold off on executing Webs and hand over Riptide to Porpoise - the dragon in charge of justice," Gill added, seeing the confused looks of… everyone else in the cave.

"Alright," Tsunami said. "Is that everything we need to discuss?"

Starflight nodded. "Yes."

* * *

"Soldiers!"

Crocodile stood on a beach, a force of SkyWings and MudWings fifty strong arrayed before her. A strike force - not meant for pitched battle, but that wasn't why they were there, on an island more than a day's flight from the mainland. Beside each MudWing lay two logs and five dragonflame cacti. The goal, of course, was to reach the Summer Palace undetected, which seemed to be going well, to drop fifty burning logs and over a hundred cactus firebombs, and fly like the Darkstalker himself were after them.

"Queen Burn handpicked us for this critical mission. See that island over there? On the horizon?" Crocodile pointed at the island that she and Burn had picked out - the most likely location of the Summer Palace. "Until now, I didn't tell you why we're out here. Couldn't take the risk of a spy somehow finding out what we were doing. I'll tell you why now. Through my work infiltrating the Talons of Peace, I found a lead as to the location of the Summer Palace. With the queen's map, we determined that the most likely location for it, based on my intel, is over there! Merely two or three hours from here!"

They were on the major island just along the dragon's tail from the target that lay along the direct path from the Diamond Spray Delta. Through her desperate effort, they had arrived in record time - from the time Crocodile had reported to Burn, barely a full day had passed, the journey that would ordinarily take three days cut down sixfold. Queen Burn had chosen the fastest MudWings in order to keep up with the force of SkyWings, and they had not stopped to rest, nor eat, nor drink from the morning until the evening on which they arrived at their current location. For a night they rested, and now they would continue at a regular pace until arriving at the palace. They needed all their energy for the escape, after all.

"In that palace are the Dragonets of Destiny!" Crocodile paused to allow the strike force to jeer. "Furthermore, as we were leaving, you may have seen the queen stop me and tell me something. That something is this - Blister was spotted heading north! She might be in the palace! And that's not all…" Crocodile grinned. "The Dragonets of Destiny were bringing the esteemed general and king Gill back to the SeaWings with them! SkyWings! This is your chance to avenge the wrong done unto Queen Scarlet! MudWings, for the honor of Queen Moorhen! We fly!"

As the soldiers gathered their logs and cacti, Crocodile reared up. "If we kill even one of our six targets, it doesn't matter if we all die here, either Blister's dead or the prophecy is broken! Gill is a bonus, but if you see a chance to kill Blister, take it! I'm going after the Dragonets of Destiny!"

The soldiers rose into the air, a cry issuing from each throat.

"FOR BURN!"


	18. Prison

**Apollo: We're back! Finally. After another 3 and a half months... damn. **

**Artemis: We'll try to keep this short, this is a short chapter, so without further ado - we've already replied to some of you, so just these few responses. **

**Apollo: Hermes is feeling quiet today... ok then. To the first guest, thank you. **

**Artemis: To the second guest, we hope you've gotten over your writer's block in the embarrassing amount of time since we last released a chapter. **

**Apollo: To Aren serathy - Thank you. That's about it, which is exactly why Blister is doing the same thing, and Burn pretty much can't reach her enemies on her own terms. Burn's got the strongest offense by far, but her enemies can't be reached. To paleocacher18, thank you, and it did. To ThunderbladeN as well. **

**Artemis: You know what, to all you lovely reviewers who asked when we're updating, now. Thank you all for your support. **

**Apollo: Finally, to tonix63, and this is gonna be a long one, first of all! Clay WAS the first hatched. If you read closely, there's an allusion to what Starflight senses when that happens. Second, yeah, not our finest moment, we were new, but it's probably not changing. Sorry. Third, and this is specifically for your chapter 2 review, Darkstalker. Just... Darkstalker. His existence refutes all points made in that review. Fourth, that is a legitimate oversight, but since Pantala has books, I'm ruling that Pyrrhia has both books and scrolls -**

**Artemis: We need the plot holes for ventilation! **

**Apollo: - because there's no reason that Pantala should develop books and the RainWings pre-illiteracy can't, especially given our theory on just what happened around 2000 A.S. which we will explain later. Maybe in a little lore chapter. Finally, Clay is fireproof, as per canon, Tsunami is strong and actually learned well from Kestrel due to the resident mind-readers encouraging empathy, so she's a better fighter than canon. That goes for all of them, too. Glory can't see the future, I don't know where you got that, she's just really good at hiding, again as per canon. Starflight can read minds and see the future, as any other NightWing hatched in the light of three full moons can, and Sunny has both of those plus magic because we thought it would be cool. As for your comment about the heroes being overpowered... yes. They are. However, the villains are a lot more dangerous too. Burn's aggressive, not an idiot, and Blister's a genius. They're adapting. Blaze... isn't quite a villain? I don't know. She's smarter too. Darkstalker, meanwhile, won't be limited to acting through Moon, and that's all I'm gonna say for that!**

**Artemis: We failed at keeping it short. Sorry. On with the chapter! **

**Apollo: We'll try not to take so long with the next one. **

* * *

Bright morning light filtered through the canopy, casting puddles of green sunshine all across the Summer Palace. A Council meeting was underway in the pavilion above the Dragonets of Destiny, plus Gill and Tsunami's as yet unnamed sisters.

The little emerald-green dragonet romped on the beach, kicking up sand and stopping in surprise when it drifted into her nose. She sneezed hard enough to knock herself backwards, then sat up and gave Tsunami an indignant look.

"Well, stop putting sand in your nose, then," Tsunami suggested helpfully.

The emerald dragonet shook herself, spotted a tiny crab digging in the sand, and pounced. Unfortunately for her, her navy-blue sister had the same idea, and in the ensuing tangle of dragonet limbs, the crab vanished into its hole.

"What're their names?" Sunny asked. She leaned into Tsunami's side for a moment, and Starflight wished he had some way to preserve the scene for all time. Gill, himself, Clay, and a semi-visible Glory away from the water, Tsunami and Sunny watching over the two newly-hatched dragonets on the shore. His memory would have to do.

"I'm trying to think of the perfect name," Tsunami said. "At least for the emerald one. Mother said it was up to me."

The dragonets glanced up from their digging, sand covering their snouts like mustaches.

"I'm naming the navy one Puffin," Gill interjected. "What do you think?"

"I like it," Glory said, snickering. "Hey, Tsunami, maybe you should name the other one Walrus." At this she lost all semblance of composure, fading fully into visibility as she dissolved into giggles.

"She's not a Walrus!" Tsunami said. "She's much more dignified than that!"

The dragonet jumped at an insect in the air. However, she promptly lost her balance, not helped by the fact that Puffin was standing on her tail, and landed with her head in the sand. She flailed her wings furiously until Sunny gently lifted her free, deftly avoiding a wing to the face as she did so.

"How dignified," Glory commented.

"She's awfully cute," Clay said. "I think she has your snout, Tsunami."

Tsunami flicked her tail, pleased. She looked around proudly until…

"Father, what's wrong?"

Gill was looking up at the pavilion with a disquieted expression. "Blister."

"Don't I know it," Starflight muttered. Gill looked at him questioningly. "She figured out I was reading her mind."

"WHAT!" Starlight winced. Even Puffin and her sister had stopped digging.

"The moment I tried to find something specific, she figured out it wasn't her thinking what I wanted her to think, so she came to the logical conclusion. It… it scared me." Starflight admitted quietly.

"She's been undermining Coral's support network for years. You noticed how she keeps making little suggestions?" Gill asked. "She's gotten Coral to depend on her. It wasn't this bad before, but I think that's why she got me captured."

"What happened?" Tsunami asked.

"It was a minor skirmish. We were fighting the SkyWings near the shore, but then the MudWings started attacking from the Delta. Blister called a retreat, knowing full well that my honor guard and I were busy dealing with the SkyWings and couldn't follow. Only three of us lived to be captured. By the time you broke me out, I was the only one left," Gill concluded mournfully. "I was leading from the front, as always. There was nothing I could do to stop the retreat."

"I don't like her," Sunny said bluntly. "Too manipulative, kind of evil, definitely has sinister plans. Also, she called me 'sweet' like that's all anyone needs to know about me."

"But you are sweet," Clay said, patting her head.

"That's very true," Tsunami agreed seriously. Sunny scowled cutely at both of them. "But you're right. We need to meet Blaze. We obviously can't let Burn be queen, and it seems we all agree on the subject of Blister. Even if the stories about her brainlessness weren't exaggerated, she's our only hope. She's said to be kind, at least."

"So we can go?" Glory asked Tsunami, a faint note of hope in her voice. "And look for Blaze? We're done here?"

Starflight couldn't disguise his hope. As much as this was important to Tsunami, the Kingdom of the Sea was nowhere near safe. Blister was manipulating Queen Coral, and even Tsunami had nearly been assassinated. A dragon surfaced and swam to the beach.

"Father," said the new arrival.

"Fin, right?" Gill asked. The dragon - Prince Fin, apparently - nodded. "What brings you here?"

"You need to talk to Turtle. He's still brooding over what happened to the hatching before Anemone's."

"What?"

"You heard me, Father. What you said that day… he's thinking that he should have been better. That he failed his duties to his subjects, to you, and to himself."

"I'll talk to him when all of this is cleared up. The last Council meeting is happening now, so if Blister leaves we should be at the Deep Palace this time tomorrow."

"Good. With all due respect, Father, you should have had that talk before you went back to the war."

Without waiting for dismissal, Prince Fin turned around and flew off, just as Coral, Anemone, Blister, and Moray landed.

The green dragonet scampered up to Anemone as soon as she landed and tacked one of her talons. Anemone laughed and flipped her over, then sidestepped Puffin's attempt to sneak up on her so that the two dragonets landed in a pile of yelping, flailing limbs.

"Have you picked names?" Anemone asked her father and sister.

"The blue one's Puffin. Tsunami?"

"What do you think of Auklet?"

Auklet disentangled herself from Puffin and hissed indignantly. Puffin tackled her.

"I've given the order to examine everything Orca carved," Coral said. "Who knows what else she enchanted."

"What's the story behind that statue?" Tsunami asked after a few seconds of silence.

Coral sighed. "Orca carved it and dedicated it to the hatchery about a week before she challenged me. I gather she expected to win…" Coral trailed off.

"That explains her last words to you," Moray hissed.

"Yes," said Coral sadly. "She said, 'I did this all wrong. You're going to rule forever, aren't you, Mother? You should thank me. No one can stop you now.'" The queen looked down at her daughters, one standing awkwardly to the side as the three others played in the sand. She stroked Anemone's head with a wistful expression.

"But…" Clay said hesitantly. "But if Orca was the assassin, then who attacked Tsunami in the tunnel?"

Queen Coral shrugged. "We'll catch them eventually," she said. "That's how stories work"

"Translation," Gill added dryly. "It's going to be my job to hunt them down and bring them to justice."

"Well, yes," Coral responded with a smile.

"So we know the real assassin," Tsunami began. "What will happen to Webs and Riptide?"

"They are still imprisoned. Riptide's interrogation yesterday night was… inconclusive. Until that matter is resolved, Webs' fate is still to be determined," the queen explained.

"Then… I guess that's it. We've done what we came to do, so it's time to move on," Tsunami mused.

Coral looked up sharply. "Move on? You're planning to leave?"

"Yes, Mother. We still have a job to do… but when the war is over, I'll return."

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen," Coral said sadly as she flicked her tail harshly. Twenty guards, led by Shark, burst out of the water and surrounded the group. "You are all under arrest."

* * *

Glory vanished immediately, of course. Coral looked annoyed for a second, but continued. "For the crime of endangering Princess Tsunami, and taking into account all extenuating circumstances, King Gill is henceforth sentenced to a day and a night in prison. For her own protection, and to hopefully teach her to not be so **reckless**, Princess Tsunami is to spend the next three days to one week in the same cell, with consideration for good behaviour." The queen took a breath, and Sunny stiffened. "Clay the MudWing, Starflight the NightWing, Sunny the SandWing, and Glory the RainWing, if anyone can find her, are sentenced to indefinite imprisonment on suspicion of espionage using NightWing powers. Will you come quietly?"

Sunny thought for a few seconds, then answered. "I will."

"So will I," Clay asserted.

"I as well," Tsunami and Gill chorused.

"And so will I," Starflight sighed. "Might we know who has accused us, Your Majesty?"

"The accusation against you is by Queen Blister herself," the queen responded. "Take them away."

* * *

Maximum security was, by all appearances, dull. Just the back of a cave, past cells with walls made of water past which Starflight could sense Webs and Riptide, and into one of which Tsunami and Gill had been shown, into simple numbered rooms carved into the stone and covered in a screen of woven vines hooked to the wall. A keyhole rested innocently next to each screen. Appearances, however, would be deceiving.

"It's heavily enchanted," the guard had explained. "Just finished a few months ago. The vines can't be torn or burned, or otherwise destroyed, the hooks are enchanted to only let the screen go when it's moved from the outside, and only when unlocked with a special key unique to each cell that is normally in the possession of the queen herself or the guard captain, the walls can't be tunneled through, and the cells are all cursed to kill any animus dragon who tries to cast a spell in the cell unless they carry the cell key." The guard smiled, not unkindly. "It's inescapable, but also safe. There's a keyhole inside each cell that locks the cell and opens an escape tunnel in the floor - which is also warded against tunneling, as is the ceiling - it's designed for the event that a hostile force cuts us off from the sea and the sky. You obviously don't have the keys, but hopefully it'll comfort you to know that your cell is good enough to be a secure escape route for the denizens of this palace."

"I'm sure it won't come up," Sunny said. "One of us per cell?"

"Don't be so eager, I have to open them first," the guard chuckled. "It's kinda weird that you're taking this so well."

"It helps to know that Princess Tsunami won't be happy if we're harmed too badly," Clay elaborated. "And we have a great track record for imprisonments."

"So I've heard, dragonets," the guard said, unlocking the first cell and gesturing for Clay to enter. "So I've heard."

As the cell locked, Clay's name and tribe appeared etched above the keyhole. At Starflight's noise of surprise, the guard turned.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that there's also an enchantment to etch the name and tribe of all prisoners currently in each cell above the respective keyhole, and also to a master tablet in the pavilion." The guard smiled. "Pretty cool, right?"

"And Princess Anemone enchanted all this?" Sunny asked. At the guard's nod, she continued. "Why is she even training with Whirlpool, then?"

"The effort of enchanting all this knocked her out for days," the guard responded. "I think she's working on endurance now." He opened the second cell, motioning Starflight inside. He walked in. The cell was lit by glowworms and contained a simple yet comfortable-looking nest. Well… it was as good a time as any for a nap. He wasn't going anywhere, after all.

* * *

Starflight awoke about an hour later to rustling and cursing. Looking up, he saw the curtain move aside.

"Tsunami? What are you doing here?"

"By order of Queen Coral, the guards posted for me and Gill were loyal to him. Also by her order, they had the keys to your cells and instructions to let us out. We're busting out of here. Gill's staying, he promised to make sure Riptide isn't treated unfairly, and we're the ones in danger. We're bringing Webs because Blister wants him dead. Come on!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Starflight muttered, leaving the cell after Tsunami.

"We're still missing Glory," Clay rumbled to Gill.

"I'll handle that," Starflight broke in. "We need to start moving. Do we have a way to get out of here?"

"It's Shark's hatching day, Coral's making sure he's the center of attention. All but three of the guards and most of the civilians are up at the pavilion. The tunnel is clear."

"That's one way to do it," Clay muttered.

"_Glory! We're escaping!_" Starflight sent to Glory.

_How?_

"_The queen organized it. The tunnel's unguarded. Keep an eye out for us - the five of us are leaving with Webs._"

_And Gill?_

"_Staying behind. He's the king here, what do you expect? Blister can't touch him. Just be ready._"

_Sure._

"Glory knows to watch for us," Starflight announced. "Let's - is that smoke?"

"We're under attack!" Sunny screamed.

"What -" Gill began.

That was when the first volley of burning logs fell, ripping the canopy so loudly that it was clearly audible over the rushing water, followed immediately by explosions.

* * *

Panic.

Screaming.

For a palace on an island in the middle of the sea, it was surprising how much caught fire so quickly.

Large sections of the canopy collapsed, carrying flaming branches and leaves and debris down onto the Summer Palace. Starflight saw dragons spiraling toward the lake, their wings alight with flames or with ragged holes still pouring blood, shrieking with pain.

"The SkyWings," Gill breathed, looking up.

"MudWings too," Tsunami added. "Burn's faction. Were we followed?"

"Right. New plan. You five find Glory and escape. I'll handle this." Gill jumped, gliding to the pavilion, presumably to rally the guards. Down below, a lone figure was standing on the lowest level of the pavilion, shouting.

"Maintain order! Injured and non-combatants first! Anyone who can fight, take to the skies! Destroy those who would attack our home!"

As Starflight watched, the figure spread their wings and flashed all their patterns. The royal spiral was visible. Probably Prince Fin, then.

Below him, a steady stream of dragons went into the exit tunnel. Even if Gill hadn't changed the plan, they never would have gotten through. As the dragonets stood there, little fireballs fell from the invading force, exploding shortly after. More screaming.

The carnage wasn't as bad as it could have been. With Shark's hatching day celebration, there were far fewer dragons in the sky than there otherwise would have been. As they watched, SeaWings started taking off from the top of the pavilion, without the time to put on armor but heavily armed regardless.

"_Glory, there's been a change of plans._"

_You don't say? I couldn't have guessed._

"_Not the time. We're going up._"

_About that…_

"_What did you do?_"

_You see the dragon on the pavilion? That's not Prince Fin. _

"_Nice acting, then. I'll get Gill to send the real Fin down._"

More explosions. Tsunami looked at Starflight impatiently. "Well?" she asked.

"She's impersonating your brother. I need to get Gill to send him so we can get out."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening, dragonets," a new voice interjected smoothly.

"Crocodile! What are you doing here?" Webs asked suspiciously.

"You know her?" Clay asked.

"She's with the Talons of Peace. She saved my life.

Crocodile loomed menacingly in the entrance to the cave, wings creased with soot and a scar twisting her face into a strange grimace. "Poor Webs. So wrong in so many ways." As she stepped into the cavern, Starflight focused.

"_Gill. Don't ask, but send Fin down to direct the evacuation. Glory's impersonating him._"

"These are the brats the Talons are so obsessed with? Scrawny." Crocodile lashed her tail. "And I see you're missing someone. Such a shame… but the SkyWings want all of you back. For the next queen to play with, I assume."

"You're not working with the SkyWings!" Webs cried out.

"Of course I am," Crocodile said. "Who knew that infiltrating the Talons of Peace would be so **useful**? I never thought I'd get the chance to follow an idiot SeaWing back to the secret palace we've spent years searching for."

Webs blanched and his wings drooped heavily, physical manifestations of the mountain of guilt he was feeling.

"Plus, bonus dragonets of destiny," Crocodile said. "I am so getting -"

Crocodile lunged at Clay. Clay, not expecting an attack before the attacker was done talking, froze for a second - but it was amazing how much could happen in a second.

Because as Crocodile lunged, talons angled to rip out Clay's throat, Sunny grabbed Clay's tail, pulled him back, and spat fire in Crocodile's face as she overextended.

Crocodile, evidently, had not hatched from a blood egg.

With a shrieking roar, she shot out of the cave and dove for the lake below. Glory took flight as Fin replaced her, and landed at the entrance to the prison cave.

"What'd I miss?" she shouted over the sound of another round of explosions.

"One of the Talons was a traitor. Sunny saved the day," Tsunami replied. "Let's go!"

The five dragonets, plus Webs, burst out of the cave. Fin was controlling the evacuation skillfully, and only a few civilians remained in the Summer Palace. Turning away, the dragonets instead shot toward the ongoing battle in the skies. Tsunami took one last look back to the pavilion, shook her head, and pressed on.

"Clay, Sunny, help me cover our retreat! Starflight, Webs, go as fast as you can! Glory, get any stragglers!"

One of the SkyWings caught sight of them. "Break! Target the dragonets! Remember the mission!"

The invader's distraction cost him his life as the SeaWing he was fighting grappled him, ripping his wings to shreds and throwing him at the cliffs, but his comrades heard him and retreated up, shouting for the MudWings to "drop everything and get them!"

"Everything" turned out to be two volleys of explosives and one of burning logs. The MudWings, numbering about two dozen, dove, aiming to knock the dragonets out of the sky, but were intercepted by the SeaWings, who managed to stop all but five of them. Of those five, Tsunami and Clay dealt with two each - knocking them out of the way easily, as the soldiers had sacrificed caution for speed. Sunny ripped a hole in the wing of the last one, and he spiraled down, screaming all the while. Sunny winced.

"South!" Glory ordered.

The SkyWings cut the dragonets off before long. They had lost many more dragons to the SeaWing defenders, but nine against six was not good odds without magic. Especially with the sixteenth presence… but there was no time. All nine of the SkyWings breathed fire. Clay blocked it, not even flinching at the intense heat, and he, Sunny, and Starflight retaliated with their own fire, downing two SkyWings as they hovered, stunned. Glory's venom struck a third, and he fell shrieking, snapping the other six out of their shock… just in time for Gill to announce his arrival by thrusting a spear through an attacker.

"Go! I'll hold them here!"

"But," Tsunami started.

"I've beaten worse odds!" he retorted, slashing at another SkyWing. "You need to escape!"

"He's right," Webs said quietly. "They're after you. You heard that SkyWing, and Crocodile too. Trust the king."

Tsunami glared at Gill. "Don't die."

Gill grinned, snagging a piece of the burning canopy and throwing it at yet another SkyWing. "Die? This is the most fun I've had in months!"

The dragonets flew south -

"Starflight!"

Sunny tackled Starflight out of the sky as Blister burst from the canopy, slightly scorched, and tried to stab him. The SandWing princess cursed, feinting at Clay, then diving for the palace.

* * *

Hitting the water **hurt**. Starflight thanked the moons that he'd hit the water in a remotely streamlined way, but he'd still have a headache in the morning.

He cursed himself. He should have recognized Blister. Now she was getting closer, probably trying to finish him off… he dragged himself to a beach. Blister stood across from him. Sunny surfaced beside him.

"I should kill you, you know," Blister began, almost conversationally. "It's no more than you deserve."

She looked up. "But I won't. I know when I can't win… but remember. Burn's too bloodthirsty to ever reign peacefully, and Blaze is an idiot. When you decide that I'm the only choice even close to good… I'll let you live. In the meantime, above you."

A SkyWing dove at the three dragons, likely having escaped Gill, who was still merrily stabbing and slashing with spear and claws. Blister seemed to realize something.

"So I was wrong…"

She stepped back, letting the SkyWing crash where she had just been standing, and quickly stabbing forward with her tail. The SkyWing did not get up.

"Such loyalty my dear sister inspires. Oh well. Don't you have your little friends to get back to?"

Blister spread her wings and flew off.

* * *

After that somewhat creepy occurrence, the escape proceeded smoothly. That night, the dragonets found themselves on an island about halfway to the mainland. Gill was down to two enemies by the time they'd left, and he'd taken the time to cheerily wave while falling out of the way of some fire. Starflight stood awkwardly behind Tsunami.

"The RainWings next, I think," Tsunami said. "We can get to Jade Mountain through their kingdom."

"They're fine, you know," Starflight said.

Tsunami sighed. "I know, but… it doesn't stop me from worrying. Most of them were out of the way, but anything can happen in battle." She turned to him. "Sunny's going to have nightmares about this."

"Now who can see the future?" Starflight snarked.

Tsunami snorted. "Yes, it's all part of my magical SeaWing-princess powers. I somehow know when my friends are going to be feeling all guilty about killing other dragons."

"You don't know -" Starflight began weakly, but Tsunami cut him off. "Yes, you do. Even if Crocodile's not dead, that one SkyWing she tore the wing of? The other SkyWing you helped her burn? I'd be surprised if any of us sleep well tonight."

"And it'll be worse for her," Starflight concluded.

Tsunami nodded. "Exactly. What… what did Blister say?"

Starflight looked at her sharply. She continued. "It's not hard to guess that she said **something**. The lack of her trying to kill you was a major clue."

"She was trying to convince us that she was the best choice to be queen, nothing new. She didn't feel like taking her chances against two of us, so she warned us about a SkyWing that turned out to be diving at her, killed her, and left."

Tsunami scowled. "Of course. Anyway, we need to get some sleep. We leave at first light - we need to cross the Mud Kingdom before the survivors get to Burn."

Starflight nodded, and when he went to sleep that night, he dreamt of fire.


End file.
